Two Points for Honesty
by Ayla505x
Summary: Scarlett Thundera has just transfered to a new school. Unbeknownst to her, she will soon be caught up in the antics of one very annoying teacher, Brian Garra, as they follow the events of the New Prophecy. Very AU, Squirrel x Bramble, All Human, No OCs
1. Chapter 1

"That's her! Scarlett Thundera!"

The short, slim girl, her long curly red hair tumbling down to her midriff and piercing green eyes bright, stepped unhesitantly into the room. Immediate stares followed her entrance, taken up by the few students who'd already arrived in the school. The girl, paying no mind to the awed whispers that drifted about her, made her way over to an empty desk and set down the books she'd been assigned that semester. She sat down, straightening her dark blue skirt and folding her hands in front of her.

She peeked to the side briefly, noting amusedly that some of the students appeared almost frightened by her. However, she was also somewhat dissapointed that none seemed at all compelled to meet her. Checking the clock that was hanging on one of the monotonously gray-painted walls, she realized that it was in fact still very early. Her homeroom teacher hadn't even arrived yet. She allowed a small ray of hope to penetrate her gloom. She might be in her class. Maybe, maybe... of course, she wouldn't know, as she couldn't be bothered to check the class lists that came in the mail.

So here she was. A new student, having just transferred from an all-girls private school, at the very beggining of the new school year. She told herself she ought to be grateful she hadn't transferred in the middle of the year. That would bring lots of unwanted attention.

"Um... hello? You're Scarlett Thundera, right?"

Scarlett blinked, turning her head to see the student who'd just addressed her. A tall boy with stormcloud-colored gray hair, one streak of a darker shade in his bangs, and dark golden eyes the color of the setting sun. He smiled shyly, running one hand through his short and spiky hair. "I'm sorry to bother you... I was just wondering... well, what you're doing here, really..." He looked away, seeming uncomfortable. "It's just that... uh... you being rich, and stuff..." The whole classroom suddenly seemed to be tuned in, straining their ears for the answer to the question they'd all been wondering.

"That," she began, raising her chin stubbornly and meeting the boy's gaze, "is none of your concern." The silence that met her statement was short-lived, as she quickly broke it again. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to have the name of the man I am addressing... if you're a man, that is." A small smirk crossed her lips as several laughs broke out. She'd never really been around men much, besides some of the instructers at her old school. Still, if this was the worst they got, she was quite sure she could handle it.

The boy blushed bright red, now the subject of his peers' teasing remarks. "My name's Stan." he muttered, shuffling his feet on the ground awkwardly.

"That's a nice name." Scarlett replied with mock politeness, for which she earned more giggles. "As you already seem to know, I am Scarlett Thundera, meaning I am the daughter of Sandra Thundera and Fiorella Thundera." She raised one small eyebrow at Stan, which made him flinch. "I'm assuming you know who they are, as well." The silence had returned to the room as the students slowly got the message: Scarlett Thundera was not to be messed with.

"Y-yes, ma'am." The gray-haired young man shuffled away swiftly, his face bright red and eyes wide. Smirking, Scarlett leaned back in her chair, twiddling her thumbs absently. Ten minutes into her first day of her Senior year, and she'd already set the score. She shouldn't have any trouble here, not in the least bit. That was, of course, unless her parents decided Leah has served her sentence and could enroll in the same school... Scarlett rolled her eyes. Her older sister, Leah, was exactly the opposite of the red-haired little spitfire. Tall, curvaceous, and elegant, Leah was the highlight of the Thundera family. Scarlett had no quarrel against her older sister personally. In fact, she was the nicest person she'd ever met- perhaps that was why she was so annoyed by her. A family as prestigious as the Thundera's should not be soiled with such sympathy towards lower-classed citizens- it was simply unbecoming.

"No way! Scarlett, is that you?"

As the familiar voice sounded from the doorway, the freckle-faced girl raised her head and grinned from ear to ear when she found the source. Her long-lost best friend, Sophia, gazed at her with amazement obvious on her round face. She looked just the same as she had, seven years before- brown hair shot through here and there with natural highlights of blonde and black, perfectly tan complexion, and wide green eyes. She was quite a bit bustier than before, but of course, that was to be expected. Sophia ran to her amediately, blind to the amazed gazes of her classmates. "Oh my God, Scarlett! It's been forever!" She giggled, sitting down in the desk right beside her's.

"Yeah, it has." Scarlett laughed as well, finding her friend's cheer to be contagious. "I finally got permission from my father to transfer. He realized, on account of my idiot sister's actions, that I'm much more responsible than he gives me credit for. That, and he thought I'd be fine, since you go here as well."

Sophia grinned, before her face became serious. "Wait, what did Leah do?" By now, most of the class had turned away, not really understanding the conversation. Just a bunch of rich-kid chatter that they didn't understand a word of. "She would never do anything _really_ bad, would she? She's always been so mature."

"Ha, that's what you think. She attempted to elope with this kid named Craig that works for a rival company of my father's. They got caught and my mother put a stop to it. Now she has to go to a super-elite-private school now. Even worse than the ones were usually go to."

"No way! I would've never expected that from her. She was never interested in guys, was she-"

A sudden hush suddenly descended over the room as, slowly, the door creaked open. Scarlett looked up, curious to see who could pull such a reaction from the boisterous students. In walked a tall man, a briefcase in one hand. His clothes were well-ironed, consisting of pinstripe gray slacks and a matching jacket. His blue tie matched stylishly, as did his simple black loafers. What caught Scarlett's attention, however, was the clear expression on his handsome face: the expression of one who is indefinitely and perpetually pissed at the world.

The silence became deafening at the man sat down at his desk and began to fiddle at the drawers. Mumurs started to break out, and Sophia leaned over to speak to Scarlett. "That's Mr. Garra." She giggled as the man stood up and began writing on the chalkboard. "He is so hot! And really young, too. He just started teaching here last year. I was so excited when I found out I was in his class!"

"That's ridiculous." Scarlett replied, raising one eyebrow at her friend. "He's our teacher, not just another boy in the classroom. You can't actually be thinking about pursuing him?"

"Well, of course not!" Sophia pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm just saying! Oh, you're probably wondering about his last name. It's pretty weird, huh? Well, it's 'cause he's half _Latin_." She giggled, as though this made him some huge prize. "That's why his skin is that color."

Scarlett could just barely see the back of her teacher's neck beneath his mop of shaggy dark brown hair. Indeed, his skin was revealed to be a slightly golden-tinted color that she admitted was quite attractive to the eye. Unconciously, she found her eyes wandering down the man's broad back, reveling in the way his smooth muscles rippled beneath his jacket.

"'Garra' means 'claw' in Spanish." Sophia explained, grinning. "I took Spanish last year, so I asked the teacher."

Mr. Garra suddenly turned around, the chalk clanking down on the small metal stand. On the board, he'd written, 'Accelerated English'. His eyebrows, perpetually drawn into that angry scowl, seemed to twitch as he picked up a clipboard from his desk and began to read off the attendance list. "Atkins."

"Here!"

"Baker."

"Here."

While the role call progressed, Scarlett and Sophia continued their conversation. "What's his first name?" Scarlett asked softly. She noticed for the first time the deep golden-amber color of his eyes, which contrasted exotically with his hair and skin.

"Brian. Why, you like him?" Sophia teased, all the while admiring the teacher's high cheekbones and handsome, chiseled features.

"Idiot." Scarlett muttered, giving the other girl a playful shove. "He's the teacher, first of all, and that's totally disgusting. Second of all, just look at his face- he's the biggest grouch you could ever meet, I bet."

"Tailsman."

"Here!" Sophia raised her hand swiftly, and Mr. Garra nodded absently before continuing. "Thundera."

"Present." Scarlett issued, her voice ringing out strong and bold. The teacher looked up, then down at his paper again.

"Scarlett Thundera, eh? Daughter of Fiorella Thundera, president of Thundera Inc.?"

"That's right." The red-haired girl lifted her chin, smirking as several awed gasps echoed about the room.

_"Wonderful." _Mr. Garra muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the students to hear and laugh softly. Unfortunantly for the teacher, Scarlett was among those to have heard him. Her cheeks flushed imediately, and her lime-green eyes narrowed. Nobody dared speak that way to Scarlett Thundera! Even if he hadn't been speaking to her at all, his tone was simple unacceptable.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She hissed, her fists clenching on her desk. A great hush followed these words and Mr. Garra looked up, obviously quite unenthused by this little outburst. "It means," he began, speaking slowly so as to irk the girl even more, "that we have the pleasure of being accompanied by little-miss-upity this year. Wonderful. Simply wonderful."

Laughter followed his words. Even Sophia couldn't hold back several uncontrollable giggles. Scarlett's cheeks were bright red at this point, and her eyes had narrowed to dangerous, venom-filled slits. "You can't speak to me that way! I'll have you-"

"Miss Thundera." The teacher interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest. "You appear to be under the impression that you are of higher caliber than I."

"You are not-"

"However, I will have you informed that you are, in fact, sixteen years old. Problem?"

"Yes, there is a problem! I am-"

"Annoying? Why yes, yes you are."

"You aren't even-"

"Aren't even what?"

"If you'd let me-"

"Let you what?"

"This is unacceptable-"

"Stupidsayswhat?"

"...What?"

"Exactly. Now," Mr. Garra turned back to the chalkboard, leaving a speechless Scarlett to slink back in her seat. Many students were still giggling over the conversation that had quickly turned rather one-sided, and that only proved to make her even more furious.

"As many of you know, my name is Mr. Garra. By no means shall you ever adress me as anything different. I am to be your Accelerated English teacher this year, as well as your homeroom teacher. There will an abundance of homework that you must complete in order to get a sufficient grade. As Miss Thundera just realized, I am not to be taken lightly. Understood?"

Uneasy murmurings followed. This guy was a young teacher- didn't that mean he was supposed to be laid-back and fun? Exactly the opposite appeared to be true of this tall, handsome man with the stern voice and commanding prescence.

Scarlett, still seething, spared a glance at Sophia, who only shrugged in response.

"Slacking will not be tolerated. By the second week, if you are slacking, it will become apparent. Slackers will _not_ be succesful in this class." The teacher began writing on the board as he spoke. "In this class, you will learn a series of skills you will need should you choose to pursue a career in business, journalism, or really any career. We will study the works of the Master William Shakespeare, as well as Edgar Allen Poe and several other well-known artists over the century."

And so, Scarlett's school year began. So far, she'd only learned one thing- Brian Garra was by far the most obnoxious person she'd ever met in her sixteen-year-old-life.

* * *

Later that very same day, Scarlett left the school in a considerably dejected state. It wasn't the work itself- that was too easy. Nor was is the people, who she'd found to be incredibely hospitable despite their lowly upbringings. No, the one thing that bothered her was the way they treated her just like everyone else. Her backpack slung securely over her shoulder, her dark blue skirt waving slightly in the breeze, she stood still in the front of the school, contemplating which direction she should take. Back to her unfurnished, lonely apartment, or to the grocery store for some much-needed supplies? Not much deliberation was needed.

She set off in the direction of the grocery store, her spirit lifting as she observed the scenery on this August day. Bright green leaves, in their prime, swayed lazily as their branches rustled. The gentle gurgling of a clear, thin stream that wove around the far side of the school. The modest, comfortable-looking houses decorated with potted plants and pictures of family. The girl smiled, a skip in her step, the pure air in her lungs. What a beautiful day.

She finally came to a stop at the grocery store, which was really more like a supermarket in comparison to the rest of this tiny town. A blast of sweet air from the air conditioner hit her as soon as she stepped in, the automatic doors sliding shut behind her. Her hands clasped behind her, she began walking down the aisles, her green eyes bright and her heart soaring with the feeling of freedom and leisure. It was while she was browsing, however, than she heard a particularly distracting sound from the aisle to her right. She paused, and identified the foreign sound as somebody speaking fluent Spanish.

"Idiota, que no es como funciona." The voice snapped, sounded bitterly impatient. A muffled reply came, and Scarlett realized the person must be on a phone. Though she knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, she found herself listening intently as she realized the voice sounded very familiar. Luckily, she knew enough of Spanish to decipher what the person was saying.

"Look, I'm not going to go over this again." The person snarled, a man, with a stern and commanding voice. "No, you can't! Dumbass, listen to me- gah, you're hopeless. Remember what happened last year? Yeah, no, I'm not cleaning it up again, asshole..." Scarlett started as she heard the sound of footsteps, and the voice moving closer. He was coming around the corner, to her aisle, he'd catch her spying on him...

And there, in front of her, stood none other than Brian Garra. In simple street clothes, a cell phone held to one ear, giving Scarlett a cynical eye. "I'll call you back, Ben." He snapped the phone shut, put it in the pocket of his well-worn jeans, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Was there a reason you were spying on me, Miss Thundera?" He asked, in perfect English, no sign of his having spoken fluent Spanish only moments before.

Scarlett stiffened, crossing her arms over her chest as well as she glared at him. "Please! Why, exactly, would I find the need to spy on _you,_ of all people?"

"That's what I would like to know." The two glared at each other silently for a long moment, before Mr. Garra spoke again. "You don't live very close to here, do you? I was under the impression that the Thundera Estate was somewhere more glamorous than our humble little town." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, which made Scarlett bristle.

"Actually," Scarlett snapped, "though it's none of your concern, I live in an apartment a couple of blocks from here. I got permission from my parents to transfer." She sniffed haughtily, turning to look at the rows of merchandice lining the aisle.

"Is that so? And why did you want to transfer, exactly?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Garra, but I do hope you have better things to do than going around harrasing your students." She glared at the brown-haired man out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm most certainly not harrasing you."

"What, you're worried about me?" The Thundera rolled her eyes, her irritation beginning to rise. "Well, sir, I'll tell you right now you have no right to be. I am absolutely and positively fine on my own. I don't need my parents or my sister or anybody to look after me. They'd only get in my way, anyway. You've no right to show any sort of concern toward me, a lowly man like you, with no upbringing. Ignorant, is what you are-"

"Alright, that's enough, Thundera," The teacher put on hand on his least favorite student's head, rolling his eyes as he did so. "I get the point. I'm worthless, you're God. I think the whole world gets it. Actually, the real reason I asked was because I'm curious as to why the heir to Thundera Inc. feels the need to be so far away from her parents."

Scarlett imediately whipped around, her eyes stretched wide. "Who told you that?"

"What, that you were the heir? I knew since it was decided."

For once in her life, the girl was speechless. She stared, gaping, at her least favorite teacher, feeling her defenses crumbling down. Still, she held her ground, her hands clenched into tight fists. "You are the most- disgusting, ignorant, terrible, abomination of a person I've ever met!" She snarled, watching with sick satisfaction as the emotions on her teacher's face turned from smugness to concern. He'd hit a nerve he hadn't ment to hit.

"You...I..." Scarlett was trembling, feeling trapped in that aisle, tears stinging her eyes, though she didn't quite know why. Finally, she turned and ran, her curly hair whipping out behind her. Out of the store, into the beautiful day that now felt dark to her, struggling to keep in the emotions she'd bottled up for so long.

Brian Garra stood alone in the store, staring at the place the girl had been. "Dumbass." He cursed himself. His phone suddenly began to vibrate, and he pulled it out of his pocket with an irritated sigh. He held it to his ear with a gruff, "Hello?"

_"Brian! My goodness, it's so good to hear your voice again!" _It was a woman whose voice held a very heavy Spanish accent. Brian flashed a rare grin, though it was somewhat forced. "Hola, mamá." He replied softly, his eyes not straying from the place Scarlett had stood moments before.

_"Are you doing well? Do you have enough money? Are you married yet?"_

Brian laughed, realizing how much he'd missed his mother's ditzy humor. "Yeah, I'm fine, and no, I'm not married. You know I would have told you guys beforehand."

_"Oh, that's too bad."_

There was a long silence, and when Brian finally broke it, his voice was somewhat worried. "Is everything alright, Gracia? I know you wouldn't call me without good reason."

His mother sighed wearily. _"You know I don't like it when you call me by my first name. But... your father and I-"_

"He's not my father." Brian growled imediately, tapping one foot on the ground impatiently.

_"Fine, your step-father," _Gracia's voice was equally annoyed. _"Ben and I have decided to host the cultural trip for your school this year."_

"I already told him no."

_"That wasn't for you to decide. It'll be a good experience. Besides, there haven't been volunteer host families for the cultural trip in years. It's time we started it up again."_

Brian sighed heavily, running one hand through his tassled brown hair. "Mamá..."

_"I know you hate coming down here. But it's for the best, alright? It'll be a learning experience. Think about the kids, not yourself."_

The young teacher was quiet for a moment. "Fine." He finally muttered, snapping the phone shut.

Wonderful. Just wonderful.

* * *

**Shut up. I like Latin men. xD They're smexxxxxy.**

**Oh, that was fun. X3 M'kay, characters in order of appearance:**

**Scarlett Thundera- Squirrelflight**

**Stan Foreze- Stormfur**

**Fiorella Thundera- Firestar**

**Sandra Thundera- Sandstorm**

**Leah Thundera- Leafpool**

**Sophia Tailsmen- Sorreltail**

**Craig Winderland- Crowfeather**

**Brian Garra- Brambleclaw**

**Bennet Shaden- Blackstar**

**Gracia Shaden- Goldenflower**

**Thank you so much for reading this first chapter! If you liked this, and you haven't read my other story Fortune Favors the Brave, which focuses around Into the Wild, you should give it a try. X3 **

**Review, mah kitties, and help me on my quest to dominate the fandom! *insert friggin evil laugh here***


	2. Chapter 2

"I got an 'F'?"

A week has passed, and the day had started out normally. A cloudy Thursday, unseasonably cold, but not uncomfortable. The school had appeared to have enough energy to light up the whole sky, but Scarlett was stoic and sullen, which Sophia had pointed out was very unlike her nature. She'd forced a smile for the teachers she'd pass, prepared a cheeky remark for Stan, and completely and utterly shunned the name 'Brian Garra' from her mind.

During homeroom, she hadn't spoken. Even when the brown-haired teacher called her name, she hadn't answered, and Sophia had had to say she was present. She refused to look at him when he looked at her, which happened to be quite often. Sophia tried to question her about it after class, but Scarlett had just given her signature smirk and shrugged. "I hadn't noticed." She lied.

On to second period, which was Orchestra. Taught by a middle-aged woman by the name of Mary Forestein and her virtually blind hushand, Lloyd Forestein, who happened to be incredibly skilled at tuning instruments. Scarlett played violin, and was sat next to a silver-haired girl who she learned was Stan's sister, Faith. She was a year younger than Stan, but had skipped a grade. The two developed a fast friendship, though they were nearly polar opposites, Faith being soft-spoken and shy.

Third period was Math with a teacher she quickly found herself liking. His name was Dustin Lakeside, he was in his early thirties and had a very stern and no-nonsense attitude that reminded Scarlett of her old school.

Fourth period was lunch. Scarlett sat with Faith, Stan, and Sophia.

Fifth period was Choir, taught by Misty Rivers. Scarlett was a soprano.

Sixth period was Spanish, taught by Thorne Clarkson. Brian Garra was mentioned five times. Not that Scarlett was counting.

It was during seventh period, History, that everything went wrong. Her favorite teacher taught this class. He was tall, though not as tall and muscular as a certain English teacher, but was just as young. He was fair-skinned and handsome, with ash-gray hair scattered with darker flecks. His name was Ashton Woode, and he just happened to be Brian's best friend.

Scarlett had sat down at her desk, and Mr. Woode had smiled kindly at her. "Wonderful day, isn't it, Scarlett?" Scarlett. He always addressed his students by their first names. This annoyed her somewhat, as she was used to teachers being distant. She never complained, though. She only smiled back and answered, "Well, if it weren't for the rain, then it'd be fine." Ashton grinned, as though he found this comment amusing.

That was what she liked about him. And hated, at the same time. Always cheery, never really worrying about anything. If there was one thing Scarlett needed right now, it was a steady pillar in her life, and Ashton had become just that. As more of her classmates filed in, the gray-haired man announced that he'd be passing out the tests they'd taken on the lesson taught the day before. Scarlett had sat up straight. She was a straight-A student, always the top of her class. A test was nothing.

"I got an 'F'?" She hissed under her breath, staring down at the paper in front of her. A bright red 'F', circled in pen. Dash marks covered the page, questions she'd gotten wrong. "How?" She looked up, and Mr. Woode just smiled at her sympathetically before moving on.

The rest of that period passed by in a blur. When the bell rang and her classmates began to file out the door, she made her way to the front of the room to Mr. Woode's desk. She set the test down, and he looked up at her.

"Yes, Scarlett? What can I do for you?"

"Well, Mr. Woode, as you can see, I got an 'F' on my test. I happen to be a straight-A student, so I was wondering if there is any way I could retake the test."

The teacher leaned back, his dark blue eyes narrowed as he thought through the request. "I'm afraid that wouldn't be fair to the other students, Scarlett. Many others got similar grades, though I admit yours was the lowest."

"Well, couldn't I get a tutor or something?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Maybe you could help me? Just go over the lesson again?" In reality, the reason she wanted to get a better grade was because she was afraid of what her parents would say, should they see her grade.

"Well, I'm not available tonight." The teacher sighed and leaned forward again. "Though I suppose there is someone I could reserve... would your parents mind if-"

"I live alone." She cut in quickly, savoring the thrill of those words when she spoke them out loud. He nodded after a moment, then gestured back to her desk. "Well, you may sit, then. I'm on my way out anyway, so I'll just fetch them."

She grinned and nodded, then sat back at her desk. She watched as Mr. Woode left and set down the hallway. The girl leaned back in her seat, sighing happily. She'd get a tutor, raise her grade before the semester was over, and her parents would never find out.

* * *

"Why the hell do I have to do it?" Brian whined as he began stacking his papers on his desk. Ashton stood on the opposite side of his desk, his arms crossed over his chest. His best friend was looking rather impatient, not at all in the mood to listen to the English teacher's complaints.

"Because," he growled under his breath. "We're teachers, and it's our duty to help students in need."

"But she's annoying!"

"You're one to talk. Look, she needs a tutor, and you're the only teacher certified in History who's free tonight. I can't just ignore her request if she's serious about raising her grade." The History teacher frowned, placing his hands on the desk and leaning forward. "Brian, we can't let our personal feelings for the students get in the way of our jobs."

Mr. Garra sighed heavily, finally rising from his chair. "Fine." He muttered, shooting his fellow teacher a mutinous glare. "But if I end up punching her in the face, it'll be your fault. And this is a one-time thing."

"Actually..." Ashton laughed nervously, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "You'll have to do regular tutoring sessions with her in order to get her grades back on track... Sorry about that. It's the only way I can be sure that she's getting the help she needs."

"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to slip a razor blade into a candy bar and forcefeed it to you."

"Well, what candy bar will it be? Snickers would be nice."

"No. It'll be a Payday."

"But I hate-"

"That's the point!" Grumbling several more curses aimed at his fellow teacher, Brian followed him out the door and down the hallway to where his least favorite student was waiting.

* * *

When Scarlett saw him standing in the doorway, hands behind his head, blatantly ignoring her wide gaze, her reaction was not particularly charming. Or graceful. Or polite, in the least bit.

"YOU!" She yelled, jumping up from her desk and pointing accusingly at the English teacher. There was a long pause between them, in which Brian simply stared at her with an expression that was somewhere between amusement and irritation.

"Me." He agreed. "Thundera, you should probably sit down. Just a suggestion."

"And why is that?" She snapped. "You have no right to tell me what I _should_ do!"

"Alright, but I'm telling you, it's a good idea-"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"You're wearing a short skirt."

"And?"

"And the window's open."

"What's your point?"

"It's windy."

"For the love of God, just-"

"Look down, Miss Thundera."

She did as he said, and was too stunned to move for a long moment. Her dark skirt was rippling with the breeze, which had turned into a stark wind, and her bright pink panties were clearly visible. And Brian Garra had seen it all. And had teased her about it. She plopped into her seat, her cheeks flushed bright red.

Though he was facing the other way at this point, writing something on the chalkboard, it was quite obvious he was laughing, his shoulders moving up and down rhythmically.

She was so furious, it felt as though her head may explode, but she said nothing until he turned around again. On the board, he'd written 'The Feudal System'.

"That wasn't funny." Scarlett hissed through clenched teeth.

"It was your reaction that was funny." Brian grinned. "And I wasn't looking, if that's what you're thinking."

She fumed in silence as Mr. Garra turned back to the board and began making a diagram. "So, the test the other day was on feudalism, and I understand you failed it? That in itself is incredibly ironic. Anyway, I was forced into doing this, so don't think for a moment that I decided to spend my afternoon with you."

"You're not exactly a walk in the park either!" She snapped.

"As I was saying, the feudal system is really quite simple. Could you tell me what you missed?"

"Um..." Scarlett looked down at her paper for a moment before mumbling, "Everything..."

"Wow," Brian whistled. "Must be a new record."

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I might be. I just might be. Now, at the top of the feudal ladder is the king. Below him are lords, each of which he gives a section of land to in exchange for protection, loyalty, and taxes." The teacher made three branching lines beneath a drawing of a crown. At the end of each line was a castle.

"That doesn't seem like a very fair trade." Scarlett mused, tapping her pencil on the desk.

"Land was very valuable back then. Basically, the more land you had, the wealthier you were. Beneath the lords were knights," He made two lines branching off of a castle, each of which had a sword at the end. "They recieved a portion of land from the lords, in exchange for protection, loyalty, and taxes."

"Beneath them were peasants, right?"

"Peasants and surfs, yes."

"What's the difference between the two?"

"Here," Brian walked over to her desk, pulled up a chair, grabbed her pencil from her hand, and began sketching on the back side of her test.

He was so close. Scarlett could see the moving of muscles beneath his shirt, the way his expression seemed to soften as he drew, feel the heat of his breath on her arm. She gulped, feeling heat rise to her cheeks again.

"See?" The English teacher sat back, pointing to what he'd drawn. It was a diagram that looked much too difficult to understand, so she just waited for him to explain.

"Surfs were the farmers," he said, tapping the pencil on a stick figure who carried a hoe, and the writing around it. "Peasants were more like personal sevants. Not too big of a difference, so it's easy to get mixed up."

"If you're stupid, yeah." Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Look here, Miss Uppity-"

"My name is Scarlett Thundera."

Mr. Garra sighed wearily, flopping back over his chair in a way that appeared most undignified. "You are by far the most annoying student I've ever had."

"Mission accomplished."

"Alright, Miss Thundera, I have a question for you." The man leaned forward again, so close Scarlett could clearly see the vibrant amber hue of his eyes. "You get one point for answering it at all." He held up one finger. "You get two points for honesty." He held up a second.

"Fine." She muttered, resting her cheek on one hand. "I'll play your little game."

"So, here's the question; how did you become the heir to Thundera Inc.?"

She stiffened imediately and spoke through clenched teeth. "What, you don't know?"

"No, I don't." He sighed, tapping his fingers on the desk. "You don't have to answer. I don't really have a reason for wanting to know, anyway. I only know that you have an older sister, but for some reason she wasn't chosen to inherit the organization."

"She chose a different career path." Scarlett snapped, slamming her pencil down and breaking the lead. "That's the only reason. She decided to go ahead and become a doctor, even though _she's_ the one who's been trained for inheritance since she was born. No, she just blew everything off and dumped the whole load on her little sister that _doesn't have a goddamn clue_ what she's doing!"

The pause between them was particularly awkward, just quiet, as Brian processed this information. "Thanks for tell me." For a split second, he lay his hand on hers in a gesture that somehow managed to comfort her instantly. He stood up and walked back to the chalkboard.

Scarlett was left shaking, and with a strange hollow feeling inside of her. The only person other than her family that knew about the inheritance was Sophia, and the two of them guarded it with their lives. Why had she gotten this strange urge to spill it all out to this infuriating man that she hardly knew?

The rest of the tutoring session went by without another interruption. But the feeling of his warm hand on hers was burned into her memory, and stayed there forever.

* * *

"So, Scarlett, what's your favorite part about Mr. Garra?"

It was Saturday afternoon. Scarlett, Faith, and Sophia had all gone to the mall for what Sophia called 'girl time'. After browsing through more stores than Scarlett cared to remember, they'd stopped at Starbucks and ordered coffee. Sophia was leading the conversation, filling them in on gossip when the strange topic suddenly came about.

"His hands." Scarlett answered imediately, realizing a second later that her friends were staring at her strangely. "Well, you know," she laughed, thinking desperately for an excuse. "Y'know how he's been tutoring me? Well, I try my best not to look at him at all, so usually I'm just looking at his hands while he's writing something."

"That makes sense." Faith nodded, smiling. They'd stopped at a hairdresser, and Faith's silvery hair was done in French braids that fit her perfectly. "Though I don't understand why you hate him so much."

"Are you kidding?" The smallest of the three rolled her eyes. "He's so annoying. He's always teasing me about stupid stuff."

"That's a sign of true love!" Sophia insisted, her eyes widening. "I swear it is!"

"You think everything is a sign of true love, Sophia," Faith laughed.

Scarlett grinned. She admitted, it was fun being able to hang out with girlfriends. Back at her private school, they were almost never allowed outside of school grounds. Here, she was able to relax.

"Okay, I have a game we need to play," Faith said suddenly, setting down her coffee. "Alright, it's called 'Two Points for Honesty'."

Scarlett nearly choked, but managed to cover it up with a cough.

"Okay, so, basically, we ask eachother really personal questions. You get one point for answering, and two for honesty."

"How do you know if they're being honest?" Sophia asked, seeming very interested in the game.

Faith winked. "We'll be able to tell."

"I think it sounds stupid." Scarlett muttered, looking off to the side.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud," Sophia encouraged with a grin. "Well, I want to start. My question is for Faith. Hmm.." She crossed her arms over her chest and pondered for a moment. "Alright, why did you want to skip a grade?"

Faith sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Honestly, it was so I could be with my big brother. He's extremely protective of me, and was really worried when he came here for highschool and I was still in middleschool. So... I just made it easier for him, I guess."

"Two points for Faith!" Sophia announced, tallying it on a napkin at their table with a pen she'd just pulled from her purse.

"Now, I have one for Sophia." Faith frowned. "What's that mark on your throat?"

Sophia's hand instantly flew to trace the scar that crossed her throat. Scarlett stiffened beside her. "Faith, I don't think that's a-" She began, only to be cut off by Sophia.

"No, it's fine." She forced a small smile. "When I was little, I was attacked by a strange man who asked me some questions about Scarlett. I didn't tell him... so he tried to kill me."

They were silent for a long time. Faith finally smiled. "Thank you, Sophia. I'm sorry for asking so bluntly."

"Don't worry about it!" Sophia laughed, waving her hand nonchalantly. "It's just not something I get asked about often. Um... I have a question for Scarlett."

"Will it make me punch you in the face?"

"Probably."

"...Fine. Your funeral."

"Can I have the rest of your coffee?"

"Hell no!"

* * *

**The strange man Sophia was talking about is Darkstripe, by the way. He tried to kill her in the books by feeding her deathberries.**

**Mary Forestein- Mousefur**

**Lloyd Forestein- Longtail**

**Faith Fureze- Feathertail**

**Dustin Lakeside- Dustpelt**

**Misty Rivers- Mistystar**

**Thorne Clarkson- Thornclaw**

**Ashton Woode- Ashfur (I'd have to kill you if you didn't get this one imediately.)**

**Alright! Interesting stuff going on, so I reccomend you stayed tuned! **

**My reviewers were: Meivava Sirenice, Sparkheart of ThunderClan, Queen Of The Pens, Nightkill, littlemisslibrarian, Swiftbreeze-Warriors. Thank you all so much! I really appreciate your support.**

**I'll try and update once a week, if possible. I'm trying to balance three fics that need to be updated regularly at once, so it's gonna be a bit shaky for me.**

**Please review! It's REALLY appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

Sunday morning was beautiful. The golden lantern of the sun hung high in the sky admidst a cloudless azure-blue sky. The smell of leaves that had just begun to fall filled the air with a sweet perfume that coaxed squirrels out of their nests to begin hoarding food for the upcoming winter.

Scarlett stepped out of her apartment, breathing in the fresh air and scents that drifted about her. She wore a pale yellow sundress and a matching hat that cast shade over her bright green eyes and freckled visage. Standing still for a long moment, she leisurely thought about which way she should go. There was no destination; just a walk through the town, exploring the place that was so different from where she was raised.

Finally deciding to go East, she began her trek. Dress waving in the breeze, sunlight beating down on her, she could almost forget everything that wasn't right in her world. All about her aloof father, stern mother, kindly sister, maybe even that instance, that instance of total and complete helplessness in the face of danger, her failure that haunted her dreams...

No. They said it would take time, as all things did. She would heal. It would get better. They'd told her, it would never go away completely, but in time she would forgive and move on. They told her to forgive that man, to stay faithful to that fact he would find a place in God's arms. In reality, it was not he who needed to be forgiven. It was her. Her fault. Always her fault.

Her quickly darkening thoughts gave way to brighter ones as she neared the outskirts of the town. The suburbs, all green and bright, spread out in front of her eternally. She climbed the swell of the sidewalk up a steep hill, finding a breathtaking view over the area. Emerald woods peppered the land beyond, sliced through with crystal streams. The violet blur of mountains flashed faintly in the distance, their cold and crisp smell finding its way onto the rise.

Scarlett grinned, feeling the wind as it whipped her curly red hair. She loved this feeling. This was true power, in her mind; not the power of a major company or birthright, but the power of nature itself. Of that massive expanse's beliddling prescence on her being. It was beautiful. Pure, innocent, untouched, truly and utterly beautiful. With these thoughts in her mind and in her heart, she continued down the slope. There were small houses here and there, all beautiful in mysterious ways.

The sound of laughter split her silent reverie as she walked. It was a soft laugh, a man's, and she could tell by its rustiness that the man hadn't laughed in earnest for a long time. She tended to be very good at reading other people's emotions.

Curious, she turned her head, searching for the next house that would come up. It was close, she knew it. The trees parted suddenly, and she found herself staring at a simple, small house. It was made of russet-colored bricks, woven with tendrils of ivy and other late-blooming flowers. The backyard was massive, at least according to her experiences, and huge trees towered over that serene patch in the woods.

What caught her attention, however, was the man in the yard. A lawn chair was behind him, so she suspected he'd been sitting there a moment ago. The stool beside it had been knocked down, and a glass of lemonade had been spilled over the ground. A brown-haired man appeared to be tussling playfully in the grass with an animal, laughing and shaking his head.

"Mr. Garra?" Scarlett gasped loudly, her eyes widening. "No way!"

Immediately, the man let go of the animal, a large cat with tabby fur the exact same color as his owner's. Their eyes were eerily the same shade as well, that deep golden amber. "Thundera?" Brian blinked, and the cat mewled, likely annoyed at his owner's distraction.

Scarlett couldn't help grinning at his expression, and from the scene she'd just witnessed. "Does Brian play with wittle kitties?" She nearly doubled over laughing as his eyes narrowed, quite unenthused by his student's mocking. Without really thinking about it, Scarlett stepped off of the sidewalk and approached Brian and the little cat.

"He doesn't like strangers." Mr. Garra muttered cooly, standing up and brushing off his tattered jeans. The cat just sat down, tilting his head curiously as the red-haired girl approached. Smiling, she kneeled down beside him and held out one hand. He sniffed her curiously, then rubbed his cheek against her hand. "He seems to like me fine." She grinned.

Brian's eyes narrowed at the cat, who was now pushing his head underneath Scarlett's hand in order to get more contact. She was clumsy, he noted, but then again she'd probably never really had any pets. He was actually quite impressed with how she was handling it. Cats were mysterious creatures, and were usually sly and somewhat intimidating. Yet she appeared completely at ease, scratching behind his ears and laughing lightly.

"What's his name?" The girl asked, her green eyes bright.

"Brambleclaw." The English teacher said as he picked up the spilled lemonade glass from the ground. He ignored Scarlett's reaction, which was a hardly concealed snort.

_"Brambleclaw?"_ She laughed. "What kind of name is that?"

"I found him when he was a kitten, stuck in a bramble bush. He has long claws, too. It only seemed to fit." He smiled warmly, looking at the cat fondly. "He's not really tame, you know. He comes and goes as he pleases."

"Don't you worry something will happen to him?" Scarlett asked, the cat's back arching under her gentle hand. He was really a very handsome cat, with high cheekbones and tall triangular ears. "What if he gets into a fight?"

"It's up to him what he does. Cats aren't like humans. They don't need guidance, they don't even really need companionship. But he's my friend, I guess, and I just have to respect his choices. He's a good kid."

"You speak about him like he's a person." Scarlett observed, wrapping her arms over her knees and watching Brambleclaw as he began rolling around in the grass. "But I guess you're right." She smiled lightly. "I wish I could've had a kid growing up. But my mom was convinced it would mess up the house."

Brian found himself smiling as his student. Her hair was an angelic halo in the sunlight, like the fire he saw in her eyes. Hers was a strong and brave heart, of that he was sure. "You've still got time, you know." He said after a long moment, finally placing the glass back on the stool. "Your parents are only middle-aged, right? You won't have any of the major responsibility for a while now."

Scarlett stiffened, but forced herself to relax. "Yeah," she frowned. "I guess." She shook her head quickly, then grinned as Brambleclaw stretched his jaws in a massive yawn, his tongue curling. "How old is he? He acts like a kitten."

"He acts like a cat, and they're all like that. They don't have anything to worry about. But he's a year and a half, so technically he is still a kitten."

Scarlett nodded, then straightened up. Brambleclaw mewled softly, padding up to the lawn chair. She watched as the muscles in his hind legs tightened, then as he leaped and curled up in the sun. "So, this is where you live?" She observed the place slowly. It certainly wasn't glamorous, but was pretty in a earthy way that made her feel strangely nostalgic.

"Yeah," he rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it's not what you're used to. What're you doing here, anyway?"

"I was just taking a walk." Scarlett replied. "The view from that hill is terrific."

"It is. I wasn't aware you liked that kind of thing, though." He could tell by the way her shoulders squared that he was annoying her. This really was too fun to be healthy. "Nature isn't something you get to see a lot of, is it?"

"No, it isn't." The girl said stiffly, glaring at him. "That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it."

They were silent for a moment, Scarlett staring out at the forest, Brian frowning. "Why do you go on walks so often?" He asked eventually, looking away nonchalantly. "It seems strange I keep running into you wandering around aimlessly."

"It gets lonely." Scarlett answered honestly, spinning on her heel to face her least favorite teacher. "I'm not used to living alone, or having to take care of myself. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I just need to distance myself from it sometimes."

"I can understand that." Brian turned suddenly and began walking back towards the house. Brambleclaw leaped up and began to follow him. Scarlett just stood where she was, staring at the woods, until Brian looked back at her. "You coming or not?"

"What?" Scarlett frowned, looking at her teacher.

"It's noon. I was going to make lunch. If my food isn't good enough for you, though..." He was cut off as the girl's stomach growled loudly. He smirked and began laughing as she blushed furiously.

"That's- I couldn't-" Scarlett fumbled with her words, unable to put them together. He saved her though, as he turned and waved her inside. She sighed through clenched teeth and followed him into the small house.

Despite what the house appeared on the outside, it was rather stylish and modern on the inside. The front door opened up into a short hallway, which led into a living room adorned with a red leather couch and expensive-looking TV. Beyond that was a boxed-in kitchen that sprouted out into another hallway. It was strange, seeing her teacher's house this way, under circumstances that would otherwise be considered very normal.

"Have a seat." Brian gestured to the couch as he walked behind the counter in the kitchen. "You okay with pasta? I don't have much, I was going to go to the grocery story tommorow."

"That's fine." Scarlett nodded and sat down at the couch. Three windows were situated around the TV, allowing the sunlight to filter into the room. "This really is a very nice house." She mused, twiddling her thumbs. "I wouldn't have expected that from you of all people."

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment." Brian muttered as he began to boil water on the stove. "I happen to work for a living. It has its benefits, trust me."

"If only you liked your job a bit more." The red-haired girl leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Actually, I happen to enjoy teaching, Miss Thundera."

"Really?" She laughed. "You're such a grouch all the time, though. It's really hard to believe you actually like it."

"Have you ever tried teaching highschoolers? They don't listen to you at all if you aren't hard on them. You, unfortunantly, are a very annoying exception to that rule." He gave an overdramatized sigh.

"You should try being more like Mr. Woode." Scarlett stuck her tongue out at him. "He's actually nice."

"He's a dork is what he is." Brian grinned as he spoke. "No fun, really."

"What do you mean by that?" Scarlett raised his head, eyes narrowed dangerously. "What's your idea of _fun_, Mr. Garra?"

"Uh..." The teacher paused, obviously realizing he was in trouble. "Well, I, um..."

"You are so irresponsible." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "I'd expect something like that from someone my age, but not a grown man."

"It's never anything big!" Brian protested. "Just a couple drinks at a bar, you know... and I'm only twenty-three, you know."

"_Twenty-three?_ How the hell did you manage to become a teacher so early?"

"Well, I'm not dumb, that may be part of it." He was straining the pasta now.

"Really?" The teacher felt a tinge of annoyance at the girl's snickering tone. "That's hard to believe as well."

"Yeah, well, it's true." He muttered lamely, serving the pasta out onto two plates. He walked back into the living room, handing Scarlett her plate. The two sat side-by-side, speaking about little things, the wether, assignments, things like that. Though the two wouldn't admit it, it was nice to have a simple conversation with someone who seemed to understand. More than others did, anyway.

When they were done, Brian brought the plates back into the other room. Throughout this whole time, Brambleclaw had been curled up on a small catbed in the corner of the room, his tail wrapped over his nose as he slept. "Hey, Thundera? You know what I noticed?" Brian sat again at the chair.

"Something stupid, I'm sure."

"Kind of. You only ever laugh when you're making fun of me."

Scarlett was silent. "You look into things too much." She muttered. "I just don't find you amusing at any other time."

"Is that so?"

Before she could even react or turn to see what he was doing, Brian had leapt forward. His hands flew to her sides, and suddenly she was doubled over, laughing and screaming for him to stop.

"Damn." He raised on eyebrow, though he didn't stop. "I wasn't aware you were so ticklish, Thundera."

"Stop~! No, ah~!" She tried to kick him away, writhing on the couch and scrabbling at his hands. "That's not funny~!"

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Ahh~!" She rolled over, bringing Brian with her. They hurtled off the couch, Brian landing first on his back, Scarlett sprawled on his chest with her face right above his.

The two stared for the longest time, both with wide eyes, neither willing to make a move or push away. The English teacher gulped, faced with those intense emerald eyes that glimmered even when there was no light in the room. That fair, freckled face, young but strong, and those pale pink lips...

He leaned forward the slightest bit, every sane part of his mind telling him to stop. But she was right there, that beautiful and defiant girl with fire in her eyes and in her hair.

Scarlett froze, feeling the warmth of his breath on her face. He was moving forward. Amber eyes, like liquid sunlight, were locked on her own with such intensity she couldn't look away. Chiseled features, undoubtedly handsome, were so close to her. She couldn't move. This couldn't happen. No, no-

"I have to go." She pulled away, standing up swiftly. "Thank you for lunch, Mr. Garra." For a split second more, she stared down at her teacher, still lying on his back and staring up at her in bewilderment. "Goodbye." Yanking open the door, she stepped outside, ignoring Brambleclaw as he mewled after her.

She walked swiftly down the sidewalk, not looking back at the house of her least favorite teacher. By the time she reached the top of the hill again, she was out of breath. She looked back, examining the same view she'd seen on her way there. It was still beautiful, but now filled her with a sense of urgency. She had to get away from him. He was making everything to complicated. She turned, racing down the hill and back to her drab apartment. Better to be lonely then... then whatever it was she felt with him.

* * *

An hour had passed since Scarlett had left, leaving him on his back, too stunned to move. He now sat on his couch again, staring at the ceiling with Brambleclaw curled up beside him. The cat had been agitated when the girl left, mewling to be let outside. He'd ignored him, though, unable to move a muscle.

"Idiot." He muttered to himself, closing his eyes. He felt like ripping his hair out. Shame flooded him, not only from his own actions, but from the fact that she'd been stronger than him. She'd been the one to pull away, not him. She'd been the one who didn't give in. That girl had overpowered him.

Turning his head slowly, he looked at Brmbleclaw through narrowed eyes. "You probably think I'm an asshole." He muttered. "I am, though, aren't I? That was so dumb. So dumb. She's _sixteen_, for God's sake!" He clenched his teeth and seethed while Brambleclaw raised his head and mewled.

"It wasn't completely my fault, though." He tried to defend himself. Against who, he wasn't quite sure. "It was just instinct. I mean, she's beautiful- you noticed that before I did, though. It wasn't my fault, it was my body's, right?" Brambleclaw's eyes narrowed to slits, and he appeared to roll his eyes.

"That must be it." The English teacher ignored the cat. "I would never do something so stupid. Nevermind, yes I would." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. "This is so messed up." He muttered.

The cat mewled softly, sitting up suddenly and raising his head with ears pricked.

"What is it?" Brian looked at Brambleclaw, frowning. The cat mewled again, and the man sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll let you out." He stood up stiffly and made his way over to the door. He opened it, and the young brown tabby rushed out in a flurry. He watched for a moment, noticing that his cat was rushing toward a tiny orange shape in the grass.

Curious, the English teacher followed him to where he stood, his head bowed over the tiny orange shape in the grass. Brian kneeled down beside it, and Brambleclaw growled softly, deep in his throat. Though he already knew what it was, Brian poked it once, and sure enough, a tiny face popped up from the mass of ginger fur, staring up at him with emerald eyes. A kitten.

The kitten blinked several times, as though just waking up, and finally stood up on stumpy little legs. A tiny ginger kitten, a female, with a single white paw. Brian watched with amusement as the kitten approached Brambleclaw, its tiny tail waving in the air frantically.

"So, what do you think, Brambleclaw?" He outstretched one hand, which the kitten sniffed at curiously, before pouncing on his fingers. The older cat growled in annoyance when the kitten abandoned Brian's fingers and instead decided to attack his tail.

"Well, we're keeping her." Brian muttered, scooping up the little cat in one hand. She mewled, staring up at him with massive eyes. "What should we name her?" As they walked, Brian observed her features; a bushy tail, legs that looked like they could grow to be very long and powerful... "How about Squirrelflight?"

* * *

**Interesting stuff, mi amigos. Interesting stuff.**

**So, Brian has acknowledged his attraction for Scarlett, but claims it's only physical. DX Silly boy.**

**And how about that whole almost-kissing episode? Dang. I can understand Scarlett, but c'mon Brian, you're a grown man! XD**

**My reviewers were Nightkill and Meiveva Sirenice. Thank you guys! **

**DX This story is very unpopular, it seems.**

**I NEED REVIEWS, Y'ALL. Inspires me to update and tells me what I can do diffently!**

**Review plzkthx.**


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNING: This story is rated 'T' for a reason! References to rape and other mature material are mentioned in this chapter.**

* * *

"I'm sorry, Scarlett," Sophia murmured softly, shuffling her feet on the ground. "But... I won't be able to drive you tommorow..."

"What?" Scarlett shot up so quickly, everybody in the room stared at her. She ignored them, grasping Sophia by the shoulders desperately. "What do you mean? I have to go! I've... I've never missed..."

"Shh, Scarlett, I know how much it means to you." Sophia sighed. "I'm really sorry, but my family is going on a vacation to Florida with Brandon's family." Scarlett could've sworn she blushed a bit when she mentioned her new boyfriend. "...Are you sure you can't get another ride?"

The red-haired girl's fists tightened on her friends shoulders. "No!" She snapped. "Nobody else knows! You know that... I can't just..." She bowed her head, unable to meet her friends gaze.

"Shane would understand." Sophia tried to comfort the smaller girl, but to no avail.

First period hadn't yet started. It had been two weeks since the incident with Mr. Garra, and the two had hardly spoken since. Even at their tutoring sessions, he was distant and didn't sit next to her as he'd done before. Now, as he walked into the room, he noticed the episode between his students.

"That's not the point!"

"What's the problem here, girls?" The English teacher asked, sitting at his desk and raising his eyebrows at the two students. Neither appeared willing to answer, so he gestured for them to come to his desk. "Talk quietly amongst yourselves." He told the rest of the students.

Scarlett stared down at her feet, trying to get her bearings together while Brian watched her through narrow eyes. "I have a feeling this is a very personal problem." The two nodded slowly, and the teacher sat back in his seat with a sigh. "Well, I'm no therapist, but seeing as class doesn't start for another ten minutes, I'm glad to be of service."

"Tommorow is the anniversary." Sophia said softly, and Scarlett felt as though she was shrinking into herself. "Four years ago tommorow, her best friend Shane died. My family has always been able to drive her, but I'm afraid we have something up tommorow..."

"I could drive her." Brian said suddenly, his amber eyes trained on Scarlett, who refused to meet his gaze.

"But... it's a Saturday tommorow..." Scarlett protested lamely, shuffling her feet. "Won't you be doing something else?"

The smallest trace of a smile crossed her teacher's lips. "Believe it or not, Thundera, I don't visit adult facilities on a regular basis."

Sophia frowned, not understanding her teacher's statement at all.

"I will pick you up at ten o'clock tommorow." The brown-haired man said before Scarlett could protest. "You live in the apartment complex a couple of blocks from here, right? You should wait in the lobby, and I'll take you wherever you're going."

"Thank you, Mr. Garra." Scarlett whispered, her eyes wavering. "I... just... Thank you."

* * *

The next morning, Scarlett sat alone in the lobby of her apartment, watching silently as people came and went. Some glanced at her, some didn't, but none of them spoke or stopped. They had places to go, things to do, people to meet... With a shuddering breath, she pulled from the jacket of her coat a photo of a small boy with brown hair and laughing green eyes.

"Are you ready, Thundera?" Brian dropped the hood of his jacket as he stepped into the building, his eyes immediately falling on the red-haired girl. She seemed lifeless today, immobile, and so fragile she would break at the slightest touch. Again, he questioned himself; why why he doing this? He had no reason. She was just a stuck-up girl with some family problems.

But he found something in those emerald eyes. He'd burn in hell before he let that die. If this was important to her, if it was something she honored, and it was neccesary in order to save her bright spirit, then by the light of God he'd help her with this. He owed that to the world, didn't he?

Scarlett nodded silently and stood, wrapping her arms around herself. She followed Brian as he opened the door for her and the two walked out to the parking lot. He opened the door of his silver Sedan for her as well, and she slid into the passenger's seat.

As he started up the engine, the girl stared blankly outside. The morning was misty and gray, telling of a storm yet to come. How fitting.

"So, Thundera, would you mind telling me where exactly we're going?" Brian asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Thundera Memorial Fields." She said, not turning from the window.

"Really? He's buried there? I thought Tailsmen said he was only a friend of yours."

The girl stiffened. "I requested he be buried there." She hissed through clenched teeth. "Is that a problem?"

Brian frowned, realizing his mistake. "Sorry, that was dumb." He muttered. "Um... what was his name, again?"

"Shane Oake." Scarlett answered. "We met a long time ago. By the way, we're not going to there first."

"Then where are we going?"

"1754, Lakewood Drive. It's where his brother lives. He was my friend too, but I only see him at this time of year..." Her eyes misted over, and Brian regretted ever volunteering for this. "He has a wife and kids now, but we're still good friends, I guess."

"What's his name?"

"Spencer."

The two were silent for the rest of the hour-long drive, Brian concentrating on the road ahead and Scarlett staring out the window, trying her best to numb herself against everything. It was the same every year. The guilt, the grief, the anger, and depression, every single year. Why did she still even go? To remind herself again and again of her own failure?"

"Alright, Thundera, two points for honesty." The English teacher spoke suddenly, looking at his student critically. "Who was this boy to you? How did you meet, and when?"

Scarlett sighed and closed her eyes. "Nine years ago. He and his brother were homeless, and they wandered the street we lived on looking for food. I was curious about them, so naturally I went to find them."

_That's only natural for you, Thundera,_ Brian thought with a grin.

"We became friends. I snuck food for them, and they stayed out of trouble. It went like that for five years."

When it became apparent she wasn't going to say any more on the subject, Brian nodded. This was a touchy subject for her. He could respect that, and relate to it. There was no need to push her. If she wanted to tell him, then she would.

As they pulled into the driveway, Scarlett nearly kicked the door open to get out of the car. She ran to the porch and rang the doorbell immediately. Brian followed more slowly, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his brows knitting together.

Then, a man opened the door. He was tall and lanky man, probably in his early twenties, with long limbs and pale skin. His black hair was short and spiky, with a single streak of brown in his bangs. "Hey, Scarlett!" The man grinned and embraced the girl, who hugged him back. "I'm really glad you could make it today."

"You know I wouldn't miss it." Scarlett smiled warmly. She gestured toward Brian, who stepped forward cautiously. "Sophia had something up today, so my English teacher drove me here. His name is Brian Garra. Mr. Garra, this is Spencer Oake."

The two men nodded to eachother, both slightly apprehensive. "Here, why don't you two come on in?" Spencer grinned, holding the door open. "The kids are playing in the living room."

"Where's Daisy?" Scarlett asked softly, walking into the tiny household. She sat at a couch against the wall, her teacher sitting beside her. Spencer's face fell, and he sighed. "She's at therapy right now."

"Aunty Scarlett!" Two high-pitched screams suddenly sounded, and from around the corner ran two tiny children, their eyes wide and bright. The older one, a boy with black-and-white hair, attacked her leg, while the second, a dark-cream-haired girl leapt onto her lap.

"Hey, Toby, Rose," She laughed, ruffling the girl's hair while Spencer watched with a warm smile. "I'll go get us some drinks, then we've got some catching up to do, Scarlett."

When the man left the room and Toby and Rose raced back to whatever game they were playing before, Brian looked at Scarlett. "Is Daisy his wife?" He asked softly.

"Yeah." The girl nodded solemnly. "She was in an accident, three months after Rose was born. She's had therapy, but the doctors don't think she'll ever really be rehabilitated. Her brain is unresponsive to everything they've tried."

"That's terrible." The teacher whispered sympathetically, to which his student nodded. "The world's really been hard on him."

"I thought you said he used to be homeless, though," Brian blinked, leaning forward. "What happened?"

"My family felt very guilty about Shane's death. We gave him enough money to buy a house, but he wouldn't accept any more. He insisted it wasn't our-my- fault." She gave a shuddering sigh, and again the teacher decided it would be best not to question her.

"He seems like a nice guy, though."

"He really is." The girl smiled, huggining her knees to her chest. "He's so devoted to Daisy. I imagined him being that way to me, once." She sighed wistfully, and Brian saw in her eyes a flicker of the love she'd once felt for the long-limbed man. "Even though she's in a wheelchair most of the time and can hardly speak... he works for her and the kids, and I know he loves her with all his heart. I wish he would let us help him."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she relaxed immediately as warmth spread through her arm. "He's grateful for your friendship, Scarlett." The teacher didn't even realize he'd used his student's first name as he pressed on. "He feels as though he owes you, not the other way around. You helped him through a tough time."

The Thundera only nodded, her eyelids drooping in thought. "That doesn't change anything." She muttered.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Brian whispered, his brows furrowing.

"Maybe I did, at one point." She smiled bitterly. "But I would never be able to give him what Daisy has... children."

Brian spent several seconds processing this information. Was it some kind of Thundera pride that didn't allow her to have children with him, or... "Do you really mean you can't have children?"

The girl nodded, her hand pressing against her stomach. "I was in an accident when I was younger. Now, I just... I can't have kids."

At any other time, the thought of Scarlett as a mother would have been amusing. But to have that ripped away from her, the thing that made her a woman, seemed unbearably cruel. "I'm sorry," He murmured.

"Yeah, so am I."

* * *

On the way to the Memorial Fields, both were silent, there moods as solemn as the icy gray sky. When they pulled into the empty parking lot, Scarlett was slow to open her door and step outside. Brian walked around the outside and opened it for her, to which she gave a brief nod of thanks.

Pulling her jacket tightly around herself, Scarlett walked to the gate, pulled a key from her jacket, and fiddled with it for a moment. When the gate slid open, she gestured to Brian, and together the two entered the vast green field, ordaned with glorious sculptures and tombs.

Brian was aware of Scarlett's slow gait as they treaded on, her head bowed low and her boots scuffing the earthen trail. Several drops of rain had begun to fall, but neither noticed.

Scarlett looked up as they reached the far side of the field, which was considerably less glamorous than the rest of the memorial. At the very edge, shrouded by the shade of a barren cherry tree, a tiny slate-gray stone sat. The red-haired girl approached achingly slowly, looking back once or twice at Brian to make sure he was following.

When they got close enough to read the heading, Brian made out the words 'R.I.P, Shane Oake. A brother, a friend, and a hero.'

"He wasn't a hero." Scarlett said, her voice cracking. "He didn't have the chance to be. I think they just put that there to mock me."

"Scarlett..." Brian began, but the thought didn't continue as the girl kneeled down beside the grave and placed on hand on its smooth surface. "And he isn't resting in peace. At least, I really doubt he is. He probably hates me."

"Why would he hate you?" The teacher kneeled down beside her, placing one hand on her back.

"I killed him." She whispered, her voice soft. The rain was falling steadily now, dotting their jackets with darker droplets. "His death was my fault."

"I don't believe that it was-"

"What would you know?" Scarlett whispered, her hands fisting in the earth beneath her. "You have no idea what happened, you idiot. You weren't there." Tears slid from her eyes, and Brian realized that he would hear the whole story now. "Tell me what happened then."

"We... we were walking in an alley. There was this man that was following us. Shane told me to run, that the guy was probably dangerous." She gulped before continuing. "I didn't listen and... and the man pulled out his gun and... shot him. He was dead immediately."

Brian listened silently. There was nothing he could say. She needed to get it all out, she needed to tell him, then he would help her.

"After... after he shot him..." Her eyes were overflowing with tears, and she choked as she spoke. "He... he walked over to me and..." Images were flashing in her mind, horrific images of that man's cruel face twisted into a sadistic sneer as he approached her. His massive hands pinning her to the wall, grappling her breasts, whispering horrible things to her... "He ripped off my shirt and..."

She never got the chance to finish, as Brian pulled her into his arms, wrapping her in his embrace. She crumbled against his shoulder, her hands gripping his shirt and her shoulders shuddering with barely controlled sobs. Her tears soaked the fabric of his shirt as he rubbed her back with one hand, whispering comfortingly to her as the rain fell around them.

He was painfully aware of everything about her. The strawberry scent of her long, curly hair, pressing against his cheek. The way she shrank into him, completely and utterly melting and opening up in a way he doubted she'd ever been able to before. She trusted him, so much more than he deserved. After all she'd gone through, after the traumas and the fear, that she trusted him of all people made his throat tighten and his eyes sting.

"What happened afterward?" He whispered softly to her, pressing his lips gently against the top of her head. She took a deep breath, willing herself to stay strong.

"He shot me." Again, her hand pressed against her abdomen.

"That's why you can't... Oh, Scarlett..." His arms tightened around her, pulling her to him, wanting her desperately to see how much he cared. How he admired her strength, her defiance, even in the face of terrors he couldn't imagine. She was so small, here in his arms, but so powerful.

Scarlett sighed, placing her cheek against his warm, muscular chest. Her tears were no longer visible under the rain that now ran down her face, drenching her clothes and hair. She could hear his heartbeat, deep and steady. His powerful arms were so comforting, as was the feeling of his warm breath on her head. She could stay like this forever. He made her feel safe.

"Scarlett," he whispered, not even feeling the icy rain on his skin. "You know you have nothing to be afraid of, right? All of that is over. Shane would never, ever blame you, and it was never your fault." He smiled against her hair. "You know how much I admire you, right? I would never have guessed any of this about you, you're always so proud and always ready for whatever life throws at you."

"Brian..." The girl gulped, closing her eyes tightly. "Can you promise me something?"

"Of course. Anything."

"Just..." She looked up at him, pulling away from his arms. "Just never change. Never. Bicker with me during the day, and at times like these... please protect me. Can you do that?"

"Without a second thought."

Their lips met, there in the rain. She could feel him around her, the warmth of his mouth sending fire through her body, his hands tracing warmth over her cheek. Her hands clutched his chest, pulling him close, wanting his spirit and his warmth and his strong, beating heart.

Still the rain fell, but it was ignored.

* * *

**Um... don't kill me? Please? **

**Characters introduced:**

**Brandon Wilson- Brackenfur**

**Shane Oake- Shrewpaw**

**Spencer Oake- Spiderleg**

**Daisy Oake- Daisy**

**Toby Oake- Toadstep**

**Rose Oake- Rosepetal**

**Now, I would like to explain something about AU. In an alternate universe story, bonds of love stay the same, though ties and family trees may be mixed up. For example, Shrewpaw and Spiderleg are not the children of Dustpelt in this story. However, if they were to meet, they'd have a very father-son like relationship. You see? Then, with pairings like Black x Golden, they're made up just for the story to progress as the author sees fit.**

**I also know Spiderleg doesn't really love Daisy very much in the books, and Squirrelflight never loved Spiderleg. Again, these are my interpretations, and I use them as I see fit. Thank you.**

***Coughcough* ...Yeah.**

**Reviewers: Nightkill, Queen of The Pens, Sparkheart of ThunderClan, Swiftbreeze-Warriors, and littlemisslibrarian. Thank you all so much for your support! It's because of you that this story is still alive!**

**Review? I like reviews. A lot. Like, seriously. A lot.**


	5. Chapter 5

**_I can feel you all around me_  
_Thickening the air I'm breathing_  
_Holding on to what I'm feeling_  
_Savoring this heart that's healing_**

**_-All Around Me, Flyleaf_**

* * *

What they had was strange, indeed. It was so deep, so strong within them, like a rooted fire that rested in their lips, their fingertips, their eyes, everything they used to touch one another. Neither could describe it. Neither could deny it. It was the clashing of flames and claws, of heart and soul. What more could be said?

Two months passed after that fateful day in the rain, when their lips met for the first time. They were careful, terribly careful, that nobody discovered them. It was agonizing, those long hours of the school day in which they were aloof as student and teacher should be. At the same time, both were grateful for the other's sharp tongue and teasing tendencies. It made not being together so much more bearable.

It was at their tutoring sessions that they were finally alone. That was when the flames were fanned into brilliant life. Sparks danced on their tongues as they spoke to eachother, spending as much time as possible gazing into eachothers eyes.

"Brian..." Scarlett whispered at one such tutoring session. The two had been going through the tedious process of reviewing the Black Death, sitting side-by-side at Scarlett's desk. Brian looked up, slightly concerned by her tone. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. It's just that the Cultural Trip is coming up in Spring, right?" She frowned, biting her lip. Four students were chosen for their academic promise to go on the trip each year. Since her tutoring sessions began, Scarlett had been able to raise her 'F' up to a 'B'. Did she qualify? Was it right for her to even ask?

"If you were wondering if you were chosen, I recommended you." The English teacher smiled, his amber eyes sparkling. "Ashton agreed that you should go, and so did old man Owen." Mr. Owen, the prinicipal, was an old friend of her father's. The two hadn't been on the best of terms lately, but it was a well-known fact he was still grateful for his help in the past.

Scarlett grinned, obviously pleased with this development. "Do you know who else is going?"

"Yes, I do. Faith and Stan Fureze, and Craig Winderland."

"Craig...?" Scarlett gasped, her eyes widening. Leah's ex-boyfriend had transferred to this school several days ago; Scarlett wasn't aware he'd be getting good enough grades to get into the Cultural Trip. "Is that a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" Brian's brows furrowed for a moment, and then he remembered what Scarlett had told him at one of their tutoring sessions about her sister's secret meetings. "Oh, that. Well, he's a difficult kid. He's very headstrong, so I was thinking you two would click instantly." He dodged Scarlett's fist by an inch. "Kidding!"

"Well, I don't see why he should be coming with us." Scarlett muttered. She'd only ever met Craig once, and that was when they were caught attempting to eloupe. He was kid about her age, with shaggy gray-black hair and baggy goth-style clothing. He'd seemed cold, distant, and all-together uncaring, but it was obvious from the way he looked at Leah how much he loved her. That was possibly the only time Scarlett had ever felt sorry for her sister. She had such a devoted partner in Craig, and it was terrible for her to lose him.

Now more than ever, she understood how terrible that must have been for her. She too had met a man like Craig, and knew she'd never be able to let him go. Just being with him set her blood to lava and her stomach to a butterfly pit. He was perfection. Handsome, annoying, bossy perfection.

"I'm not sure what it was about him." Brian leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, his face falling into its usual brooding state. "The kid's got an intensity about him, I think. He's the kind of person you know would be loyal to the end, if he learned how to trust somebody. We thought he could benefit from this trip."

The girl nodded in understanding. That made sense to her. "What teachers are going?"

"Me and Ashton. Usually, we have three adults going, but we're going to stay with my family back in Texas..."

"No way!"

"And my sister will be there as well, and she's a teacher at a local school there, so she'll serve as our third adult."

"I'm actually going to meet your family?" She snickered. "Oh, that's going to be interesting. What's your sisters name?"

Brian frowned. "I have a feeling you're mocking me, Thundera. Honestly, you have good reason to. They're a... strange bunch. My sister's name is Tammy, but everyone just calls her Tam. It's a ranch, by the way."

"I knew you were a cowboy." Really, she was having too much fun with this. Learning about his family for the first time- it really was interesting. "Tell me more. Who else lives there?"

"Well, there's Tam's fiance, Rowan. My mom, Gracia, her... her husband, Ben," Scarlett couldn't help but notice the way Brian's eye twitched when he mentioned his mother, and how he'd referred to Ben as 'her husband' instead of 'my dad'. "Is he your father?" She asked softly, sensing it was a difficult subject.

"My father is dead." The English teacher said bluntly. It was obvious from his tone that he was done with that line of conversation. "Then there's Ben's sister, Russ. And my half-sister, Morgan."

"Is she Ben and Gracia's daughter?"

"No. She's my real dad's." His eyes narrowed to tiny slits, and his guarded expression hardened. "I... I have a half-brother, too... but..." He shook his head slowly, then sighed. "I have no idea why the hell I'm telling you any of this, anyway." He muttered. "It's none of you business, anyway."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. He was always like this. If a topic got too close to his heart, he would push her away, rejecting her concern. He preferred to face it alone. Three months ago, she had done the same thing. But he'd opened her eyes to so much more, and now he was blocking himself out. It wasn't fair. And she could see the pain he was hiding, the pain he'd buried beneath the surface for so long.

So, naturally, she did the only sensible thing. She scooted closer to him, and when he looked up to glare at her, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled his face to hers. It was these moments, these moments that almost never came, that made school days bearable. His muscular body against hers, his hands trailing down her back, pulling her closer.

He was always so gentle. He knew how that incident four years ago had left her afraid, had shattered her trust in men. But he was an exception. His every movement was with love, and nothing more. No lustful intentions, no dangerous thoughts. Just his lips on hers, his hands stroking her soft cheeks, running through her fiery red hair. He would never ask more of her than she could handle.

It always did kind of annoy him though, the way she took control in these heated kissing sessions. He was the experienced one, she was just a little upstart. But the way she dominated over him, her lips fighting against his for more contact, never ceased to please him at the same time it annoyed.

When Scarlett finally pulled away, he gazed into his eyes, deep pools of golden amber. They were still guarded. She couldn't expect to get such painful information out of him so quickly. But that didn't matter right now. He made her feel so safe. He taught her how to trust, how to love. She wanted to do the same for him. "You can trust me, Brian." The girl said softly. "You know I won't hurt you."

His eyes wavered, and lips parted for a moment, but he looked away quickly. "I told you, it's none of your business, Scarlett." He pushed her away, though it was obvious that every part of him was screaming not to. "And that's final." Muttering under his breath, he reached over to his briefcase and pulled out a slip of paper, which he handed to her.

"What's this?" She asked, somewhat annoyed at his stubborness but willing to wait. She ran her fingers of the paper's pale surface, and her skin paled when she read the writing at the top.

"It's a permission slip." Brian said, standing up and straightening his jacket. "Have your parents sign it so you can go on the trip." His voice was brisk, and he gave her a curt nod before he left the room.

"Damn." Scarlett sat back in her chair, her brows furrowing. Of all the things she'd faced in her life up to this point, the permission slip seemed to be among the most frightening.

* * *

Scarlett stood outside his door on Saturday morning, rocking back and forth on her heels, willing herself to harness enough courage to ring the doorbell. Wintery sunlight penetrated the thin clouds and swept over than land, which was unseasonably warm. Birds were chirping in the forest, and Brambleclaw sat mewling at the doorstep beside her.

She took a deep breath and raised her hand to the doorbell, then dropped it again. She couldn't do this, it was stupid. Here she was, early on a Saturday morning, dressed as though she was going to a wedding, asking her English teacher if he could drive her to see her parents. Normally, she's call on her own private driver, but she needed him there. She always did. She wouldn't tell her parents about their relationship, of course... he'd be just a teacher to them.

Brambleclaw suddenly began scratching at the door, and low mumbling could be heard from inside. "Jeez, Brambleclaw, I'm coming. Annoying cat..." The doorknob twisted, and Scarlett stiffened as the door opened slowly.

There stood Brian, wearing only a pair of baggy gray sweatpants. Scarlett couldn't stop her eyes trailing down, over his washboard abs, lean stomach, and finally to the tiny trail of brown hair that peeked out right below his bellybutton.

"Thundera?" Scarlett's head snapped up immediately, back to his face, a slow blush creeping over her cheeks. Leave it to Brian to have such an... _attractive_ body.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, opening the door wider to let her in. Brambleclaw rushed in behind her. Suddenly, a tiny orange creature streaked across the room, leaping atop Brambleclaw's broad shoulders and attempting to wrestle him to the ground. The tom appeared somewhat annoyed, but only had to sit down so the kitten slid down his back.

Scarlett laughed, kneeling down and holding out her hand to the ginger kitten, who immediately began chewing on her fingers. "Who's this little kitty?"

"I named her Squirrelflight." Brian told her, looking out one of the windows beside the TV. Again, Scarlett found herself drawn to his tanned, muscular back. "She showed up here right after your first visit."

"You never told me about her?" Scarlett pouted, holding the little fluffball.

"No, I didn't." The man sighed in annoyance, sitting down on the couch. "She was _supposed_ to be your Christmas present. She just reminds me so much of you, and since you never really had any pets growing up... well, I was planning to teach you how to take care of her so you could take her back to your apartment. It must get pretty lonely there."

"Brian, you didn't have to... you know..."

"I wanted to." He issued bluntly. "So stop whining. She's still gonna be your present, whether you like it or not. I can just start teaching you how to take care of her earlier now." The smile on his face was warm, all traces any annoyance he'd felt the day before completely gone.

She couldn't resist this moment. It was too perfect. So she leapt up, moved quickly to the couch, and tackled the man. His protests were swallowed up by her kiss, and he leaned into it. Her hands trailed down his warm, muscular chest, feeling his heartbeat right beneath the skin. He was perfect.

"Wait, Scarlett," Brian whispered, sitting up and pulling away from her gently. "What're you wearing, exactly?"

"Hm?" Scarlett looked down, and remembered the beautiful dark satin dress she wore. "Oh... right, um, about that... I was here to ask you something..."

"Two points for honesty." Brian crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her quizically. "Does this have anything to do with your parents? Like, me driving you somewhere to see them?"

The girl sighed as looked away, a blush creeping over her cheeks. "Yes. I know it's dumb, and I have a private driver of my own, but... but I just..."

"Don't worry about it." Brian sighed and stood up, stretching. "I'm glad you came to ask me. First of all, I was bored. Second of all, it's good to know you finally trust me." He grinned as he walked to his room to change.

"I've always trusted you." Scarlett smiled warmly, her eyes soft as Squirrelflight leapt onto her lap. She pet the tiny kitten's downy coat, laughing as she closed her eyes in pleasure. "You're a silly little kitty, aren't you? I bet you give poor Brambleclaw all kinds of trouble." The young tabby tom mewled his agreement from his corner.

"She's just like you." Brian muttered as he stepped out of his room, buttoning up a well-ironed white jacket and smoothing out his black slacks. "The kid won't leave Brambleclaw alone. Every single time she sees him, she tries to fight him. But as you can see, Brambleclaw's a pretty freaking big cat..." He laughed as Squirrelflight attempted yet another attack on the brown tabby, but was brought down by one of his massive paws.

"How is that just like me?" She grumbled, glaring at the English teacher.

"Please. Thundera, you're always getting into things you can't handle." His tone lost its teasing tone as he looked at her, uneasiness and worry flashing brightly in his eyes. He was afraid, she realized suddenly. He was never afraid. He was Brian Garra, and he was her hero. "What do you mean?" She asked softly.

The teacher didn't reply immediately. He just sighed and looked away. "I'm a teacher, Scarlett." His voice was faltering. "You're a student. _My_ student. Our... You and I... it goes against so many morals in society. It's just... not right... not to them."

"When have 'morals in society' ever meant anything to you?" Scarlett raised one eyebrow. So he hadn't told her anything about him. She had always been sensitive to people's feelings, their beliefs, and some of the underlying guilt they felt. She could see the guilt boiling within him, and she'd just hit a mark. She would say she was sorry later, as he had after many of his own verbal punches. It was how he'd rescued her. It was how she would rescue him.

But Brian would never let it be that way. Just because he'd saved her, she had no right to try and save him. She was snooping where she didn't belong. She was trying to reach his heart. "Shut up." He hissed, low in his throat, eyes narrowing to slits. "Don't try that with me, Thundera."

"Why not?" Scarlett stood up, raising her chin. "You did the same thing, Brian. You saved me, dammit! Why won't you let me do the same for you?"

"Because it's not the same!" He snapped back, his fists clenching til his knuckles were white. "That's not the same at all! And I didn't save you, I just..."

"You believed in me." Compared to his voice, low and growling at this point, Scarlett's own was soft as a dove's song. She was pleading with him, clasping her hands in front of her, gazing into his pained eyes. "I believe in you, Brian. So much more than you know. Why won't you trust me?"

Brian's lips parted, but no sound came out. He'd never thought for an instant that he didn't trust Scarlett. But now, as she said that, realization came flooding in. He didn't trust her at all, did he? He never told her anything, feared what she would think of him... Shame made him savage now, as he shook his head violently. "Idiot! It's not that simple, and it never has been. I don't live the rich little business life, I don't have it easy like you."

"You know that's not what it's like for me." Scarlett voice was calm, controlled, though her eyes wavered with hurt. "Don't say things like that when you don't mean it. And you know you don't mean it, Brian." She stepped forward, and he stepped back. "You don't have to tell me. Not right now, anyway. But when the time comes..." She held out her hand, the one he'd first touched at their first tutoring session. "I'll be right there, listening. And you'll trust me, just like I trust you."

* * *

The rest of the day was somewhat tense. Both had been forgiven by the other, and Brian drove her to her parent's mansion, two hours away.

Upon arriving, they were greeted by a small middle-aged woman with sandy-blond hair in a bobcut. She had a striking resemblence to Scarlett, mostly in her round face and sprinkling of freckles, and the two embraced warmly. The woman turned out to be Sandra Thundera, Scarlett's mother and husband to Fiorella Thundera.

The head of the Thundera household turned out to be a handsome, tall man with short red hair the same color as Scarlett's. He had a kind face, and shook Brian's hand heartily. The two clicked immediately, and Fiorella pronounced him perfectly worthy of being teacher to his beloved daughter.

When asked about the permission slip, both parents seemed uncertain. Brian could understand their uneasiness, after all, it was their hidden heir that was going on a trip twenty-four hours away to a ranch in Texas. They questioned both, but upon hearing that Brian would be chaperoning, Fiorella clapped his hands an proclaimed his daughter would be fine. She was, after all, tough as nails, just like her mother.

So it was agreed. Fiorella signed the slip with his graceful, fluent signature before handing it back to Scarlett. "You have fun, angel." He kissed the top of her head before leaving, and gave Brian one last friendly smile. "You take good care of her, boy. She's a special one, she is."

_Don't I know it,_ Brian thought as they walked back to his care.

* * *

**Mmm. Brian shirtless. XD Yummy.**

**Hmyes. Characters:**

**Mr. Owen- Onestar**

**Tammy Shaden- Tawnypelt**

**Rowan Clair- Rowanclaw**

**Russ Shaden- Russetfur**

**Maria Shaden (Brian's half-sister)- Mothwing**

**Hawk Garra (Brian's half-brother)- Hawkfrost**

**As most of you should realize by now, this story is FINALLY going to start following the events of the New Prophecy. *is shot* Sorry it's taken so long. I've just really fallen in love with these characters and wanted to develop them more. DX And the song at the beginning is the Scarlett x Brian official theme song. XD**

**A friend of mine in real life was wondering how I imagine the characters when writing about them. Well, here's a small list of the characters I imagine them to look like... (Hair, eyes, skin ect. color differences are implied)**

**Brian- Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, slightly longer hair.**

**Scarlett- Risa Harada from DN Angel, long and curly hair.**

**Tam- Tatsuki Arisawa from Bleach.**

**Craig- Ikuto Tsukiyomi from Shugo Chara.**

**Stan- Matt from Death Note... Goggles and all. XD He takes after his dad. (*Fortune Favors the Brave joke*)**

**Faith- Orhime Inoue from Bleach. Perhaps less... *ahem* Busty. o.o**

**My wonderful reviewers! I love you all!: Meiveva Sirenice (Ah, the crime makes the story, my friend.) , Nightkill (Who for some reason feels more sorry for Spencer than Scarlett... O.o), Queen of The Pens (I know, right? No, actually, I hated it. It was so corny. DX), Sparkheart of ThunderClan (Y U KNOW WHO I BE WRITIN' BOUT?), littlemisslibrarian (...Dude. A crocodile? *bows* You are my God. XD), leafpool1014 (Aaaand apparently I have rabid fans now. o.O)**

**Your reviews are the only thing that keeps this story going. The more reviews, the longer the reviews, the more of this story you get! Make your contribution and REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

To say he was terrified would be an understatement.

He knew what it all would mean. He knew what he'd have to give. He knew what was at stake. Never before had he put quite so much on the line. Suddenly that didn't seem to matter to him, not as long as she was with him. He was just so tired.

Brian lay now alone in his bed, staring silently up at the ceiling. The winter air was cold on his bare chest, but he didn't bother pull the covers up.

The English teacher was an insomniac. That was one of the seemingly hundreds of things he hadn't told Scarlett. He lay awake every night, unable to sleep for fear of the nightmares that plagued him. On many occasions he'd been urged to try medication, and on one instance he had. He'd quit after only one week, as the pills made him depressed and lethargic during the day.

His only consolation on these cold nights was the thought of her. Was she thinking of him? He hoped so. He would hate to be the only one who felt this way. Not only would that make him a pedophile, but she'd probably tease him about it endlessly.

What business did he have with her, anyway? Scarlett Thundera was a lady. Brian Garra was a cowboy. It made just about as much sense as anything else in his life, didn't it? But he didn't deserve her. She deserved a man like that friend of hers, Stan. Someone who would always understand her and comfort her. Not bicker with her constantly.

He was so insecure.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a long moment, covering his ears with his hands as he rolled on to his side. And why was it that a girl like her, who'd been through so much and was so strong, could possibly be interested in a wreck like himself? He had nothing to give her. He was so much more trouble than he was worth.

Suddenly, the phone began to ring. The harsh sound was so sudden Brian jumped, sitting up quickly. He reached over to where the phone rested on a small table beside his bed and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

_"Hey, Brian."_ The voice on the other end was sly and smooth. It always made him uncomfortable. _"We're gonna hit the station. Meet us at the place, and hurry up."_ The man had hung up before Brian could even respond.

The teacher groaned quietly and stood, running one hand through his tousled brown hair. It wasn't like he was going to miss any sleep. And it wasn't like he had a choice.

His loyalties lie with the Shadow.

Just like his father before him.

* * *

Four o'clock in the morning on the second day of Winter Break. Scarlett awoke suddenly to the sound of the doorbell. She leaped up, her hair frizzy and her back cramped from the cheap matress of her bed. She blinked hazily, trying to figure out why she'd woken up when the doorbell rang again.

Grumbling angrily and prepared to give whoever it was a piece of her mind, Scarlett slid out of bed and smoothed out her nightgown before stomping to the door. "You'd better have a good reason for coming here at this time-" She opened the door, and nearly had a heart attack at what she saw.

Brian stood in the doorway, his face slick with sweat and his clothes ragged and torn. Around his shoulder was a girl, younger than Scarlett with dark brown hair. She had an emaciated appearance, and her clothes were crusted with grime and blood. From her chest, blood oozed, its source a bullet hole right below her collarbone.

They said nothing. Scarlett slipped underneath the girl's other arm and helped Brian bring her inside, shutting the door tightly behind them. "Lay her on the floor." Scarlett said softly. "You can tell me what the hell happened later." She disapeared for a moment in the bathroom, then returned with a first-aid kit in hand.

Brian lay the girl gently on the carpet. Not once did he take his eyes from her face, which was ashen pale and contorted in pain. Thoughts hardly seemed to register inside of him right now. They were like bees, buzzing in his ears, but not making any sense. He could only wait for Scarlett. There was nothing else for him.

Scarlett kneeled down beside her and ripped her ragged shirt so she could get at the wound. She didn't understand why Brian hadn't brought her to a hospital, but there was no use in worrying about that now. The girl wouldn't live long enough to be picked up by an ambulance.

She pressed a clean cloth against the girl's chest, mopping up as much as the blood as she could and appyling pressure to prevent any more leaking.

Brian was still as a statue. His skin was pale, Scarlett noticed for the first time, and he appeared very tired and sick. He kept whispering under his breath, and she caught what she assumed the girl's name was- "Lark."

She could feel the faltering of the girl's heartbeat underneath the cloth, and gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Live, dammit!" She whispered, pressing down multiple times in quick succesion, trying to keep her blood pumping. The weak thudding was fading away, until it finally sputtered and died.

It became apparent very soon that Scarlett was only humoring Brian, trying fruitlessly to pump life into a doomed body. The cloth was stained blood, and it stained her hands crimson.

"Stop." Brian choked out, his voice a strangled whisper. "Stop it, Scarlett. She's dead."

Her hands left the body, the red cloth abandoned over the girl's wound. Both were silent for the longest time, Scarlett staring at the body, Brian with his head bowed and his shoulders quivering in anger. "Dammit!" He snapped finally, slamming his fist down on the floor.

"Brian, what happened?" Scarlett's voice was soft, carefully controlled. "Who is this girl? How did she get injured?" Her gaze traveled over Brian's own body, noticing for the first time some of the bruises and smears of mud on his skin. "What happened to you?"

"Her name is Lark." Brian choked out, "Dammit. Dammit. This is so fucked up..." He pressed his hands to his head.

Knowing that she had to let him pull himself together before he could explain anything, Scarlett stood up. She gathered up her first aid supplies and dissapeared into the bathroom. A long while she was gone, cleaning the rags and scavenging for other materials for Brian's own injuries.

When she returned to the room, Brian was staring listlessly at the floor, all light gone from his eyes. She kneeled down beside him and carefully removed his shirt, which was peppered with blood. He said nothing, only moved the slightest bit to making her job easier.

She dapped the clean cloth against a scrape on his elbow, then to what looked like a knife wound on his stomach. Though she knew the alcohol she was using ought to sting terribly on these wounds, Brian gave no sign of feeling anything at all. It was only when she reached a small cut on his cheek that he looked at her slowly.

"It was my fault." He said. "All of it. Her brother's death, too."

Scarlett bit back the temptation to ask him just what he was talking about, just shook her head slowly. "It wasn't your fault." She murmured sympathetically. "I'm sure you did your best. There was nothing else you could do. She would never blame you."

He gave no clue that he'd heard. Only continued to stare at the broken body.

* * *

An hour later, several men appeared at Scarlett's door. They asked to see Brian. He'd told her quickly they were friends of his and gestured to Lark's body. "She's dead." He whispered.

The men nodded solemnly, then one by one went over to the girl's body. They picked her up between them and made their way out the door again, giving a swift nod to Brian as they left. He watched them leave silently, the guarded expression he wore so well in place.

Scarlett wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek against the warm skin of his back. She too seemed to be in a state of shock, though she tried her best not to show it. Brian needed her to be strong now.

They stood like that for a long time before Brian finally broke away and gave her one last, blank look. He picked his shirt up from the ground and opened the door, slipping out of the room.

* * *

Monday morning, there was a school assembly. Principal Owen called all the students together in the auditorium to announce the four students who would be brought on the Cultural Trip to stay with Mr. Garra's family in Texas.

Winter Break had been rather uneventful, save for that event on the first day. Scarlett went to her parents' house for Christmas, where she was showered with lavish gifts, as she was every year. She made a point to leave early, though, and went to Brian's house.

As promised, little Squirrelflight was there with a bright red bow around her neck and her fur neatly brushed. Brian had smiled wearily while Scarlett cooned over her. "Well, she's your problem now." It had become a sort of unspoken agreement between them that neither would mention that incident, so the atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Deciding that Brian shouldn't hide from what had happened, Scarlett had gone out of her way to find the things she got for Brian. When he opened the box it was held in and pulled out a shotgun, a knife, and a bulletproof vest, he looked at her questioningly.

Scarlett had taken a deep breath, shuffling her feet on the floor. "I know you're in danger, Brian." She whispered. "Whatever happened that day had something to do with you. I don't know what it was, and I'm not asking you to tell me... just please stay safe."

That was quickly followed by what Scarlett was quite sure was the most intense kissing session in the history of the Earth.

So now, back at school again, the auditorium was buzzing with excitement. None of the other students knew who would be chosen.

First to be called up were the siblings, Stan and Faith Fureze. Both were ecstatic, neither having been told beforehand that they'd be chosen. The audience clapped. The two were obviously very popular among the rest of the student body.

Scarlett was named next. She tried her best to look surprised, and hugged Faith warmly when she arrived on the stage. There was more clapping, as most had grown fond of Scarlett in her short stay at their school.

Last of all was Craig Winderland. Immediately, a bewildered silence fell. Few had even met the shaggy-haired boy, since he tended to keep to himself and was rather bad-tempered. He seemed surprised for a split second, but acted nonchalant as he stood up and made his way to the stage.

"These are our four!" Mr. Owen announced, his whiskered face split into a huge grin. "Stan and Faith Fureze, our devoted siblings." The two looked into eachother's eyes and giggled softly. "Scarlett Thundera, our proud little spitfire." Scarlett grinned and curtseyed graciously. "And last but not least, Craig Winderland, our newest student." The boy frowned and didn't make eye contact with the audience.

A loud cheer rose up from the crowd. Scarlett spotted Sophia waving to her happily, her boyfriend Brandon at her side. She smiled and waved back, glad her friend wasn't jealous. No offence to her of course, but Sophia wasn't the most studious girl.

"Mr. Garra and Mr. Woode will be accompanying these students on their trip." The principal gestured both young teachers to the stage, where they stood behind their respective charges. Brian had recommended Scarlett and Craig. Ashton had recommended Faith, but it had been decided that Stan would have to go as well, since the two couldn't stand being separated.

Scarlett smiled up at her English teacher, who smiled back and placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked at Craig as next, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Now, I have a feeling the two of you are not going to get along." He said softly as the students began filing out of the auditorium. "But there's one thing I want both of you to remember."

"What is it?" Craig muttered impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not really into pep-talks."

"It's more of a familiarity. Now, the two of you may clash, but I want you to remember the thing that bonds you together. You both love Leah."

Immediately, both students looked at him, their eyes wide and their jaws gaping. "How do you know about her?" Craig snapped at the same moment Scarlett exclaimed, "That has nothing to do with anything!" They then glared at eachother.

Brian sighed heavily. "You guys are going to make this difficult, aren't you...?" He looked at Ashton, who flashed him a sympathetic smile. "Mine get along great." He teased. Faith laughed and looked at Scarlett, and she could see the relief on her face. She really wanted to be with her brother.

"Look, you two." The English teacher nodded to the principal as he left. "Take as much time as you need," He told them. "Get them prepared."

"You can't force me to get along with that ginger midget." Craig hissed mutinously.

"Oh, like you're all that great, gothic freak!" Scarlett snapped back.

"I'm going to dropkick you both if you don't shut up." That served to shut them up quite nicely. "This is supposed to be a learning experience. You're supposed to develop social skills and the ability to get along with your peers. You're going to need those skills when you get out into the world."

"Just think about it this way," Mr. Woode piped up. "You may get a chance to see some of Brian's baby pictures while we're there."

Suddenly, Scarlett was motivated.

* * *

**So, when should I change this to a Warriors/Grey's Anatomy crossover?**

**Kidding, kidding. Character introduced:**

**Lark- Larchkit (That kit who died of starvation. Dustpelt and Ferncloud's kit. Birchfall's sister. Yeah.)**

**I got many wonderful and interesting reviews this time. One in particular I must point out. This one belonging to Queen Of The Pens, who astoundingly used all 9,999 characters limited to a review. Thank you so much! Your review was very funny, and I enjoyed reading it. XD And I agree, that girl's expression was hilarious. And Ben is Blackstar.**

**My other reviewers include: Nightkill, Meiveva Sirenice, and Sparkheart Of ThunderClan. You're all very appreciated and you make this fic possible!**

**Please review? It helps a lot with my updates.**


	7. Chapter 7

The night before they would be leaving for Texas, Scarlett slept over at Brian's house.

It had been an uneventful night. The two had watched TV for a while and spoke quietly. Scarlett fell asleep on the couch, and Brian carried her to his room, where he lay her down on his own bed. He slid in beside her, wrapped his arms around her, and the two slept soundly.

When Scarlett awoke the next morning, it was with Brian's warm scent all around her, and his muscular arms holding her close. She turned her head slowly and looked up, immediately met with two amber orbs. His eyes were so beautiful. Honey, chocolate, brown sugar, copper, and goldenrod, all mixed into those intense eyes.

He pressed his lips to her forehead, and she giggled softly. "How'd I end up here?"

"You tell me." Brian grinned, then felt a flash of alarm at the uneasiness that crossed Scarlett's face. Oops. How was it that every time he tried to joke around her, he ended up saying the wrong thing? "No- it wasn't like that. I'm sorry, that was stupid."

Scarlett let out the breath she'd been holding and nodded against his chest slowly. "No... it's fine." She mumured, trying to hide just how frightened she'd been. Brian wouldn't do something like that to her. Not after she told him about that... that time. "I trust you."

He immediately stiffened beside her and untangled himself from her gently. For a moment longer he stared at her, his expression guarded and impossible to read, before he finally stood.

Now it was Scarlett's turn to feel alarmed. Had she said something wrong? Did he not want her to trust him? Concerned, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood as well. She felt cold now, away from his arms. "What's wrong?" She asked.

He appeared to be about to respond, then seemed to think twice and shook his head. "Don't worry about it." His voice was forcefully light-hearted, not even close to convincing her. He didn't try to explain himself, just sighed. "We have to leave for the bus soon. We'll stop by your apartment so you can pick up your bags."

That was right. Today they'd be leaving to stay with Brian's family. Excitement flowed through her, and her face split into a wide grin. "That's right! I completely forgot." In an effort to brighten his mood, Scarlett teased him gently. "I finally get to meet your mom!"

Brian sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, joy."

"What's wrong with your mom?" Scarlett asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"You'll see."

* * *

Whatever Scarlett expected upon stepping off the bus and blinking in the blinding sunlight, it certainly wasn't suddenly being encompassed in a pair of dark arms and smushed against a prominent bosom.

"Mamá..." Brian sighed as he exited the bus behind Scarlett. "You're going to suffocate my student."

"Mi hijo!" The woman exclaimed, releasing Scarlett and tackling Brian in a massive hug. "I can not help it, you know." The woman, Brian's mother, laughed. "They are always so cute!"

Gracia Shaden spoke with a heavy Spanish accent, Scarlett noticed, still somewhat stunned from the sudden proximity of the woman. Her skin was several shades darker than Brian's, and her hair was straw-colored, hanging down to her waist. She was gracefully plump, giving her a very warm and motherly look.

"That was just plain wierd." Craig muttered as he stepped up beside her, Faith and Stan trailing behind him. Mr. Woode appeared disinterested, staring off at the vast prairie. "Too bad she didn't really suffocate you."

Scarlett glared at the boy venomously. "Too bad you weren't the first one off. That would've been hilarious."

Faith laughed nervously, stepping in between the two just when they appeared ready to scratch eachother's throats out. "Really not the time, guys."

Indeed, the two suddenly noticed the people that were appearing one-by-one out of the massive house, greeting Ashton and Brian with big smiles and laughter. A middle-aged woman with cropped russet hair and a sour expression scrutinized the students severely before snorting. "These are the ones you brought?" She rolled her eyes. "They're too scrawny to be any help on the ranch."

"We'll find something for them, Russ." A white-haired man that bore a strong likeness to the woman told her, giving the kids a grin. "Sorry about my sister, guys. She's a bit prickly." Scarlett noticed that both Russ and her brother were Caucasian, obviously not of the same Latin heritage as Gracia.

"Ooh yes!" Gracia wrapped her arms around the white-haired mans waist. "We will find many, many things for you adorable children to do! Such fun you will have." As though a thought suddenly struck her, she let go of the man. "I almost forgot! I am Gracia, Brian's mamá!"

Brian rolled his eyes when Craig muttered, "I'm completely unable to see the resemblance."

"This here is my husband, Ben." The white haired man lifted one hand in a casual greeting. "His sister, Russ," the woman spat on the dirt in response. "And Maria- where is that girl?"

"Here I am!" A beautiful gypsy-like girl suddenly stepped out of the house, her long golden hair waving in the breeze. Her chocolate-brown skin contrasted sharply with her bright blue eyes and the pale yellow sundress she wore. "Ah, Brian's minions have arrived?"

"Minions?" Stan appeared confused. "I... I don't think that's an accurate term."

"I am joking." The girl laughed, approaching them across the vast frontyard. She too had an accent, though Scarlett was not quite able to place it. She appeared to be about their age, but had a maturity about her Scarlett had only ever seen in her older sister. "That is what we call you children when you arrive."

"Why is that?" Faith asked.

"Because we're gonna run you into the ground working." Russ raised one pierced eyebrow skeptically. "It won't take long."

Stan gulped, and Faith laughed nervously. "Is that so?"

"Quit scaring them, Russ." Brian muttered coldly. "There's no need."

Surprised by such a blatant tone of annoyance, Scarlett looked at her teacher questioningly. Though he wasn't looking at anyone, his uneasiness was obvious in the way he rocked back and forth on his heels. Something about this place put him on edge. His family appeared to know what this was, as they exchanged several worried glances, with the exception of Ben who only rolled his eyes.

"When will Tam be her, Gracia?" Maria finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Hm? Oh, yes. She will be here later tonight." Gracia replied, smiling. "Brian's sister is a very busy woman, you see. Very succesful, she is. It is too bad she doesn't visit often."

"At least she didn't move across the country." Ben muttered with a barbed glance at Brian, who stiffened but didn't reply.

"That means everyone will be here, if Rowan is coming, too." Gracia nodded, and Maria grinned.

"Not everybody." Brian whispered, just as a strangely chilled wind swept past them. He turned away suddenly and began walking toward the house, ignoring the eyes on his back.

"What was that all about?" Craig asked.

"Nothing." Gracia appeared uncharacteristically serious, her eyebrows drawn together in worry. "Do not worry about it, child. My son, he has quite a bit on his shoulders."

Ben snorted, earning an elbow in the ribs from Russ.

"Let us go in now, children," Gracia smiled warmly, all traces of worry gone from her face. "So much fun you will have here, I promise that!"

* * *

Later that night, they all sat around a massive oak table that stretched almost completely across the dining room. The house was just as gigantic on the inside as Scarlett had seen on the outside- it had a warm, earthy quality about it, so much more comfortable than the lonely apartment she was used to, or her parents' sterilized mansion.

Gracia had served a bountiful dinner of smoked turkey, chicken, beef, and pork, all raised on the ranch behind the house. The family owned three hundred acres of land, most of which was hand-worked. That explained why they all had a lean, muscular quality about them, the same there was in Brian.

"Tam should be here in about ten minutes." Ben announced as he walked back into the room after answering the phone. He sighed as he sat down, shaking his head. "She said she failed another pregnancy test."

Gracia clucked her tongue, a scowl on her face. "She'll be having triplets in no time, you mark my words."

Scarlett smiled, warmed by the woman's obvious support of her daughter. "What's her husband like?"

"Annoying." Russ muttered.

"He's a good man." Ben glared at his sister. "A bit rough around the edges, and strong enough to beat even Brian. Tam's the only person that can keep him in line."

"He nearly broke my arm the last time we had an arm-wrestling match." Ashton joked, to the amusement of the rest of the family.

"How long have you known Mr. Garra, Mr. Woode?" Faith asked, having noticed the easy way he got along with the English teacher's family.

"This calls for the photo album!" Maria exclaimed, leaping up suddenly and dashing from the room. The gathered party exchanged several bewildered glances, though Gracia and Ben chuckled lightly. Brian blinked several times. "She doesn't mean...?"

"Baby pictures!" The girl shouted, racing back in with a thick album held to her chest. She placed it on the table while both Brian and Ashton groaned loudly. Maria opened to the first page, and both Faith and Scarlett squealed at the adorableness of the picture.

A baby Brian lay asleep beside a baby Ashton, both in diapers. Ashton's thumb was in his partially open mouth, a small trail of drool trickling from the corner of his lip. Brian appeared to be dreaming, his eyebrows furrowed and a tiny smile on his lips.

"You were so cute!" Scarlett laughed. "What happened?"

"Haha." Brian rolled his eyes.

"I had no idea you guys have known eachother that long." Stan looked at them curiously.

"Our families used to be pretty close." Ashton explained. "My sister and I usually came with my parents when they visited. I'm stuck with this douche because of them."

"Language, boys!" Gracia chided.

Maria turned to the next page, which was a picture of baby Brian staring up at the camera with wide amber eyes. He was reaching upward, his pudgy fingers grasping for the camera.

"He tried to get his hands on anything he could when he was little." Gracia laughed.

The next picture was of a robust young man with a jaggedly handsome face, dark brown hair, Caucasian skin, and amber eyes that were hauntingly familiar. He held Brian in his arms, and was staring down at him with an expression that seemed impossibly cold. "Who's that wierd man?" Stan asked, somewhat unnerved by the man's expression.

"That strange man," Brian muttered. "Is my father. And he's dead now."

Stan gulped, staring at the English teacher for a long moment. Nobody liked to have their father referred to as 'that strange man', especially if they were dead. "Oh... oh. I'm really sorry..."

"It's alright." Ben said quickly, blatantly avoiding looking at Brian. It had become very apparent there was something wrong between the two. "You didn't know."

It was obvious that it was not alright, but nobody said anything more about it, as the door suddenly opened and a woman stepped into the room. She had spiky, jaggedly cropped tawny brown hair, shot through with auburn and blond, and green eyes. She had a complexion much like Brian's, though her face was round like her mother's.

"Tam!" Maria ran to hug the woman, and was quickly followed by Gracia and Brian. A moment later a tall man with dark red hair and a sour face appeared, nodding stiffly to the family before setting his bags down.

"Glad you two could make it." Ben smiled as he approached, kissing his step-daughter on the cheek.

"Anytime." The girl, Tam, grinned. "It's been too long since I visited. I didn't want all of you to forget about me."

"How could we forget about you, child?" Gracia hugged her. "Things are so quiet without you trying to punch every person that steps through the door!"

Laughter circulated around the room, and Scarlett found herself smiling. She couldn't understand Brian's unease about his family. All she saw was happiness and love and laughter. But there was something boiling underneath, something that was surrounding Brian, something they all knew about. It was then that she first realized just how trapped Brian must be.

* * *

"So, she's the one?" Tam leaned against the doorframe of Brian's room, later that night. Her brother lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly. He blinked and looked at her when she spoke. "What are you talking about?"

"The little redhead." Her green eyes narrowed. "I'm not blind, Brian. What the hell are you doing?"

Brian sat up quickly, staring at her in shock. "How did you know?"

"Because you just told me." Sighing, she shut the door and sat down at the foot of his bed. "What's gotten into you?" She asked sternly. "She's your student. Do you really not understand how wrong that is?"

"I'm perfectly aware of how wrong it is." Brian snapped, not meeting her gaze. "No need to tell me." They were silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I think I've done enough by now that this doesn't really matter. I'm going to hell anyway."

"You don't even believe in God." She raised one eyebrow at him.

"Exactly." He muttered in reply, laying down again. "I don't care anymore."

"Yes, you do. You always say how you don't want to bring anyone down with you. Isn't that exactly what you're doing?"

Brian's teeth clenched. Tam really had a way of twisting the knife in his wounds. "Just shut up. It's none of your business."

"It will be if _they_ find out." She whispered. "You know they're looking for her."

"I won't let them take her."

* * *

Three hours past. Scarlett lay alone on the bottom bunk, listening to Faith's steady breathing above her. Everybody else was asleep, but she just couldn't seem to calm her mind. Thoughts of Brian, thoughts of his father, thoughts of that dead girl, Lark, were swirling in her mind like a tornado.

Her half-lidded emerald eyes suddenly widened when a strange noise sounded from outside the room. She sat up quickly, bumping her head on the top bunk and cursing silently. She stood gingerly, though the others were too deeply asleep to notice her. For some reason she was determined to find the source of the noise.

The door creaked softly as she opened it and stepped out into the hallway. There was the noise again, soft and pained. Her brows furrowing in concern, she began walking down the hallway, one hand trailing down the side of the wall. When the noise next came, she was standing beside a door, knowing it was coming from inside. She pressed her ear against the wood and listened. Somebody was crying.

She opened the door achingly slowly and peered inside. There, curled into a fetal position on his bed, was Brian. She stepped inside and shut the door. He was asleep, she could see that, but his body shuddered with barely controlled sobs. There were no tears, just dry choking sounds that emitted from his chest.

Scarlett approached him slowly, wanting desperately to wake him up but knowing she shouldn't. Demons that attacked while you slept were something that had to be dealt with on one's own, she'd learned that. Still, to watch him silently, that pained expression on his face while his hands fisted in the sheets, it was almost more than she could stand.

More than anything, she wanted to know what was causing him so much pain. She wanted to know why his family whispered about him behind their backs. She wanted to know the secret behind his father, behind Ben, behind the heritage of Maria. Somehow, she had to help him. To see him wracked with such agony, to see him acting so strong in his waking hours...

But Brian's demons were more potent then anything she could have guessed.

* * *

**Hmyes.**

**The plot. It be thickening.**

**Lovely and inspirational reviewers include: Nightkill, Snowflash, Queen Of The Pens, winterthaw of thunderclan, Sparkheart of ThunderClan, Meiveva Sirenice, xXLeafdappleXx, blackshadow, and Stargazer2000. HOLY SHI-**

**That's a lot of reviewers... XD**

**It's you guys that make it possible. All your feedback is what keeps this story going~~ Though I am sorry about the slow updates lately. School and swim team are tough to balance on top of Fanfiction. DX**

**Thank you for reading! Review and tell me what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Get your asses up, shrimps! Time to get to work!"

Scarlett leapt up, hitting her head on the top bunk for the second time. She ducked back with an angry hiss and rubbed her forehead before turning to see who had woken her up. Russ stood at the door, her back against the frame and her arms crossed over her chest. Amber eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked at Scarlett. "That means you, squirt."

Stan yawned and sat up slowly, yawning. He was on the top bunk, Craig below him, as it seemed the black-haired boy had a terrible fear of heights. Stan blinked blearily, staring at Scarlett below. "What's going on...?"

Scarlett didn't reply, just threw her pillow at Craig, who jumped and whipped over in the bed to glare at her. "Wasn't me." She defended, raising her arms in mock surrender.

"Don't start fighting again, you two." Faith chided gently as she walked into the room, slipping by Russ. She seemed to have woken up quite a bit earlier, because her river-blue eyes were bright and her silver hair neatly brushed. She wore an old pair of torn jeans and a simple white T-shirt, as well as a pair of brown boots. "We've got work to do."

Craig shot one last glare at Scarlett before her stood, stretching his long, atheltic limbs in the bleary sunlight that filtered in through the window. Lean and strong, Scarlett really doubted he'd have any trouble with farm work of any kind.

Stan, on the other hand, seemed meek in comparison. Though he was taller than the black-haired boy, he was paler and not as lithe. It took some more coaxing from Faith for him to even get out of bed.

Brian peeked in once. Scarlett couldn't help but notice the dark circles underneath his bloodshot eyes. He frowned at their slow progress, and told Scarlett she could use the bathroom to change, as Faith had. She didn't even brush him as she passed, as though the slightest touch would give them away to the others.

Several minutes latter, Scarlett stepped out of the bathroom, her curly hair tied back in a ponytail and dressed in torn jeans and an old sweatshirt. Stopping by the room on her way downstairs, she saw both Stan and Craig were already dressed and just leaving themselves. Together, the three descended the stairs and entered the living room, where they were met by a sour-looking Ashton, who was clothed in farm gear that seemed several sizes too large.

Seeing their expressions of confusion and amusement, the History teacher rolled his eyes. "They're Brian's old ones." He muttered, fastening the belt on his sagging jeans. "That guy is huge, I swear. He looks skinny, but god, their must be a ton of muscle under that."

Scarlett blushed and resisted the temptation to confirm Ashton's theory.

"Are the children ready?" Gracia opened the front door and peered in, smiling broadly when she spotted the three teenagers. "Ah, yeah! Faith is already out here, children, so we shall begin!"

* * *

"So, how do we get across?" Stan asked, peering over the steep ledge that led down into a creek far below. The far bank appeared much too distant to reach without any sort of propulsion or bridge.

Ashton frowned and looked down into the ravine. He, Stan, and Scarlett had been sent down to tend to the cattle in the east meadow while the others separated accordingly and went off on their own tasks. "I'm not sure. There used to be a bridge, but I suppose it's gone now. Jeez, they could have warned us..."

"I've got an idea!" A blur of red suddenly whizzed across the teacher's vision, and suddenly Scarlett was sailing across the rift. Her curly hair whipped out behind her, catching the light of the sun and glimmering like fire. She landed nimbly on the other side, crouched in a cat-like position. She turned back to look at the two young men, blowing a stray stand of hair out of her face. "Come on. It's easy."

Stan stared slack-jawed, his amber eyes wide. "H...how did you do that?"

Ashton laughed and shook his head. "You're really something, Scarlett."

Scarlett rolled her eyes, then grinned when she saw two small shapes slinking up behind the two men. Brian had suggested they brought both Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight with them, since Tam and Rowan had cats of their own that they always brought.

Stan reached out one hand, laughing when Squirrelflight tackled it immediately. The kitten appeared to lose interest very quickly and suddenly straightened up, her ears angling as she looked across the creek to where Scarlett stood. Without a second thought, the ginger kitten's legs coiled beneath her, and she sprang. Landing lightly on the other side, she waved her tail in greeting to Scarlett.

Brambleclaw glared silently at the men for a moment, his tail flicking in impatience.

"Jeez, he's just as bossy as Brian." Ashton muttered, to which Scarlett gave a small laugh.

Stan stood up and, with some hesitation, finally gathered up the courage to jump the ravine. At the last minute, his foot slipped on the other edge, and Scarlett yanked him by the arm onto solid ground. Together they tumbled in the grass, and when they finally became untangled, she glared furiously at him. "Seriously? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"You were the one who jumped first!" Stan retorted, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What if you didn't make it? Shouldn't I be yelling at you?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes and stood up. She reached out one hand and helped Stan to his feet as well. In all honesty, the only reason she was angry was because he'd been so _close_ to her. She told herself it was ridiculous that she should still be afraid after four years, and especially of Stan, who was possibly one of the most innocent boys she knew.

"Are you okay?" The gray-haired teen asked, tilting his head to the side curiously. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that."

"Idiot!" Scarlett muttered, flustered now. His clumsiness was contagious, it seemed. "I'm fine, seriously." Squirrelflight didn't appear to be satisfied by her answer, as the little kitten pranced up to her and sniffed her leg in concern.

"Don't worry, Squirrelflight." She smiled, glad for the distraction. Brambleclaw leapt the gap swiftly and padded over to Squirrelflight, giving her a cuff over the ear as if annoyed that she'd gone first.

Last was Ashton, who slipped ungracefully and had to be dragged by both teenagers away from the ledge. "Well," he muttered as he straightened up, brushing dirt off his knees. "That was fun."

The three were suddenly distracted by the high-pitched mewl of Squirrelflight as she sniffed at a bush. Scarlett approached, kneeling down beside her. "What's up with you?" Eyes narrowing, she saw that the bush was trembling in one place. Brambleclaw sat beside the ginger kitten, looking uninterested albeit his ears, which were angled forward.

Scarlett lifted up the foliage with one hand, and was met with the massive amber eyes of a little gray cat that seemed to be a little bit younger than Brambleclaw. The young cat flinched back, shielding a smaller silver shape behind him.

Without a second thought, Scarlett reached out and lifted the tom up. He looked at her nervously, his whiskers twitching. The silver queen he'd been with mewled in distress, and Scarlett noticed for the first time the likeness of their faces. "I think they're siblings."

"Hm?" Stan peered over her shoulder. He reached out one hand to scratch the gray cat behind the ear. Squirrelflight was sniffing at the silver cat, her tail straight up in excitement.

"They seem pretty tame. But they don't have any collars." Ashton mused, kneeling down as well. "And there's nobody else around here, so they couldn't beling to anyone. Maybe we should take them back to the house..."

"I want to name that one Stormfur." Stan said suddenly, ignoring the confused looks of his companions as he lifted the gray tom onto his lap. Scarlett noticed the coinciding colors of the cat's fur and the boy's hair.

"What about that one?" Ashton gestured to the silvery tabby, who was grooming her long, sweeping tail.

"Feathertail." Stan answered. "Faith can keep her."

"You've got this whole thing planned out, don't you?"

"Well, I've always wanted a cat, and Faith has to."

"Yeah, but would your parents mind?"

"No, my dad's really cool. He'd let us keep them."

Scarlett wasn't listening. She exchanged uneasy looks with first Squirrelflight, then Brambleclaw. These strange cats that kept popping up out of nowhere and ending up with owners of their same precise hair and eye color... well, it was a bit unusual.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. The three brought the kittens back to the house, where they were bathed and cooed over by the rest of the family. As Stan had suspected, Faith was entralled with Feathertail and the affection seemed to be returned. Still Scarlett couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in her gut, and when she finally met Brian's gaze after his return, she could see the same feelings mirrored there.

* * *

The teens were awoken the next morning by the sound of angry yelling from downstairs. Craig was the first to wake up (Scarlett was sure it was because of his giant ears), and he quickly awoke Faith. Together, the two roused the others and all four crept down the hallway to the stairs.

Peering around the corner of the wall, Scarlett's eyes widened at what she saw. Brian and Ben stood in the living room, several meters apart from eachother. Gracia, Ashton, and Tam were all crowded in the entrance to the kitchen, their eyes wide as they watched the two men.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ben yelled, jabbing his finger in the direction of the kitched. "Tell me, Brian, who the hell do you think you are to them? Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"You don't know anything about it!" Brian retorted, his voice rising. "Who do _you_ think _you_ are? We were fine without you here! What the hell do you think you're doing, butting your way into my family?"

"_Your_ family?" Ben snorted ruefully. "Are you really that stupid? The way you act, anyone would think you didn't have a family."

"You have no idea what I'm facing." Brian growled, low in his throat. "You call me irresponsible when I'm doing what I'm doing to keep my family safe, like any sensible adult would."

"You're no adult."

"Excuse me?"

"You're just an overgrown child! Throwing tantrums when things don't go the way you plan, refusing to look at anything sensibly. You're always blaming others for things you cause. Tell me, does that sound like an adult to you?"

"You act like you know me. You don't. You only ever knew my father."

"Your _father_." Ben's voice dropped to a whisper, suddenly much more sinister than his yelling before. "Let's talk about your _father_, Brian."

"Ben!" Gracia protested. "Stop it!" But she was quickly silenced by Tam, who began trying to calm her down.

"Don't you dare bring him into this." Brian whispered, the faintest hint of fear in his voice.

"Who are you talking about now? Not your father, I expect. Who is it? That _brother_ of yours?"

"Ben!" Tam exclaimed, letting go of Gracia. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You know it's him that's causing all this." Ben continued, smirking at the stricken expression on his stepson's face as the young man stepped backward, as though trying to escape his words. "You know he's what it's all about."

"Stop." Brian muttered, his voice weak and trembling.

"But you know what, Brian?"

"Shut up!"

"Hawk is dead!"

Silence descended on the room. Gracia's hand flew to cover her mouth as she stared, shocked, at her husband. Tam's eyes narrowed to cold slits as she looked at Brian, then back at her stepfather. "Brian..." She whispered.

"If you need to go, go." Ben's voice was icy. "It's none of my business what a stupid kid like you does."

For a moment, nobody moved. Brian's face was stuck somewhere between unfathomable fury, fear, and pain. Scarlett watched as he reached behind him, his trembling hand groping for the doorknob. When he finally found it, he was gone so quickly she missed it when she blinked.

Activity in the household took a long while to start up again. Nobody moved from their positions, watching wide-eyed the place where the young teacher had stood just a moment before.

"Tch." Ben muttered finally, turning away. He glared momentarily at Tam. "Quit trying to protect him." He ordered her harshly. "You're on a good path with your life. No need to get meddled up with the likes of him."

"Ben." Gracia murmured, her voice soft and pleading. "He's doing the best he can. He's lost his father, his brother... he just wants to protect the rest of us. You can't honestly look down upon him for that."

"I look down upon him because he doesn't realize that in saving himself, he'd be saving the rest of us." Suddenly, the man appeared exhausted, and he ran one hand through his short white hair. "Tell him when he gets back that I'm sorry. I went too far this time." Without another word, he brushed past the students and ascended the stairs.

While Tam and Gracia began to work, Ashton made his way over to the huddled students. "Are you guys okay?" He asked softly, placing one hand on Scarlett's head and ruffling her already frizzy hair.

"Yeah." Craig muttered, smirking at Scarlett's annoyed expression. "But what was that about, Mr. Woode?"

The gray-haired young teacher sighed heavily and sat on the stairs, folding his hands in his lap in front of him. "Eight years ago today, Brian's father died."

"What happened?" Scarlett asked.

"He wouldn't want me to tell you." The History teacher answered. "Then, just four years ago, his half-brother Hawk disapeared."

"Was he Gracia and Ben's son?" Faithg asked.

"No." Ashton frowned, staring up at the ceiling. "Both Hawk and Maria are the children of Brian's father with another woman."

"I thought she didn't really look like either Gracia or Ben." Stan mused.

"But I still don't understand," Scarlett spoke up. "What does that have to do with Brian and Ben? Why were they fighting?"

They were silent, looking at Ashton expectantly. Finally, the man sighed and shrugged. "I can't tell you, sorry."

"Why not?" Scarlett growled, somewhat frustrated. Here she was, so close to knowing the truth about him, but not able to reach it.

"Because it would take all week to explain it." He answered simply, standing up. "Get to work, guys. Just forget that ever happened."

Slowly, the students stood and began preparing to go outside again. Just as Scarlett entered the kitchen, Tam pulled her aside and said softly, "come with me."

Blinking, Scarlett followed the tawny-haired women up the stairs and into a drably-colored room. Tam sat at the bed and patted a place beside her. "I don't bite, you know."

Scarlett sat down and twiddled her fingers awkwardly. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I know about you and Brian, Scarlett."

Before Scarlett could open her mouth to deny it, Tam shoke her head. "He already told me."

"Oh." She frowned, unsure of where that left them.

"You know..." Brian's sister leaned back against the headboard, her arms crossed over her chest. "Brian has never once cried for our father. Or Hawk."

"Never?" She knew he was strong. But to never cry, not even after having lost his father and brother? That couldn't be good. "Why not?"

"He didn't want to worry the rest of us." She laughed ruefully. "He was always so sulky after dad died, like he was in a dream. Whenever somebody asked what was wrong, he brushed them off. I never understood why he was so cold when all we wanted to do was help him."

"Did... did he get along with his father?"

"He loved our dad. He was the world to him." A melancholy expression spread over her tanned face. "Everybody always told him how he looked just like him. That made him happy. He really looked up to him..."

"That must've been awful." Scarlett frowned. The deaths of two family members was more than anyone, even Brian, could handle on their own. "What about Hawk?"

"Those two were so close, it was like they were glued together. Brian would protect Hawk at all costs. He was his world after our dad died, I think. But then he disapeared one day..."

"Can you tell me anything about what happened to your dad, or Hawk? Why do all of you look at Brian so strangely?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" She suggested, smirking. "I'm telling you this for a reason, Scarlett. I'm counting on you to save him."

* * *

**I am SSOOOOO sorry for the crazy-late update. DX**

**Ugh. I'll try harder from now on.**

**ANYWAY. So, what do you guys think? What's the secret behind Brian's past? Was Ben being too hard on Brian? And who exactly is/was Hawk?**

**Interesting stuff.**

**ALRIGHT GUYS, YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?**

**Probably not. XD *is shot***

**It's fanart contest time!**

**That's right! Draw a picture of your favorite scene or character or whatever in this story, and send it to me by email. I am ayla505 on GMX.**

**Everybody who enters will have a special OC appearance! They'll be able to tell me about their character and I will put them in my story for the whole fandom to see. X3**

**Review? Draw? Whatever. JUST DO SOMETHING.**


	9. Chapter 9

An hour later, Scarlett was leaving the Shaden household, her jacket pulled tightly around her and a solemn look on her face.

Tam had told her that Brian would be at their father's grave, and would stay there all day. Staring silently at what was left of the man he'd never cried for, rooted in place forever, never able to heal because he was still numb. Then at night he would disappear, and come back the next day beaten up and unwilling to speak to anyone. Scarlett didn't dare say anything about the night he'd showed up at her apartment with the dying girl slung over his shoulder.

So Scarlett approached Gracia, asking her if she could go for a walk. She said she was disturbed by the instance that morning, and needed some time to clear her head. Gracia had agreed heartily, apologizing profousely and telling her she could take as long as she needed. So she left without too much fuss, though Faith watched her curiously. Breathing in the cool air of the morning, Scarlett looked up at the crisp blue sky. Was she ready to face whatever was in store? She didn't think so. Then she thought of Brian, as he'd been before, that wide, charming grin on his face and his usually angry expression relaxed.

Finding courage in the image of that handsome face, Scarlett clung to it like a lifeline, securing it in her mind. She would save that part of Brian, whatever the cost. She set off down the dusty road, toward the place where the sun would set behind the dark blue of a lake, where Brian's father had been buried. While she was walking, she thought of Ben, of the exhaustion in his eyes and the worried crease of his brow after the fight. He loved Brian, Scarlett could see that, even if Brian couldn't. Something was tugging at them both, some old link that had long since become jagged and rusted. A link that strained what should have been what Brian needed; support after the death of his father.

Scarlett shivered, pulling her jacket closer to her body. It really was too cold for spring today. Dust billowed up around her feet with every step, blown by the breeze and whipped about. The stones of the road however stayed still, strong and resilient even in the chill. They would withstand anything, until one day it all crashed down on them, the enormity of the elements and the disturbances of living creatures. Would anything save them from that fate? She was suddenly tempted, seeing a cracked rock on the edge of the grass, to mend it somehow. There must be a way to heal scars, even if they ran deep to the core...

It was when the road began to climb steadily that Scalett knew she was nearing the place. It felt as though she'd been walking forever, and the steady incline of the hill only increased her exhaustion. When she finally reached the peak and stood on the golden grass, looking down below, she spotted his dark shape, a shadow next to the rippling expanse of the lake. For several long moments she stood there, watching him, not quite sure knowing how to approach him. Tam was right, that much she could see. He did nothing but stand there, frozen in time and space, his eyes trained on a single slab of marble that rose from the ground as naturally as though it was just another part of the landscape.

Slowly, she descended the hill. The ground was rocky and yielding beneath her feet, but she managed to get to the base of the rise without slipping too badly. Across the stretch of grass, focusing on a frog, a field mouse, anything but the lifeless man she was approaching. When she was finally by his side, he didn't move an inch, didn't even look at her. His eyes were dark and glassy, his lips parted slightly as he stared at the stone. He was trapped.

Looking down at the marble stone, Scarlett read the heading slowly. 'Tyler Garra', and written beneath that, 'a man for whom we shall remember for the person he could have been, not who he was'. She read that line, over and over, unable to make sense of it no matter how many times she turned the words over in her head. It went on to speak of forgiveness and that no matter what crimes a man did in his life, God may have mercy on their soul, should they truly be sorry for what they've done. The statements seemed empty to her, forced, disbelieving. Who had this man been?

"Will you tell me about him?" Her voice sounded so radically out of place in the peaceful landscape, she almost felt guilty for disturbing the silence. But when Brian slowly turned his head to look at her, that haunted look melting into confusion, she knew it was for the best. She placed one hand on his arm, and he jumped in surprise at her contact. Her brows furrowed in concern as he continued to stare at her blankly, his lips moving as though he was trying to speak. "Brian...?"

"What do you feel for me, Scarlett?" He asked her after the longest pause. The expression on his face stayed the same, though something like fear flickered in the depths of his amber eyes. The arm that she clung to tensed as she sighed and gave a small, strained laugh. "What's so funny?" He asked, eyes narrowed as he watched the expression on her face soften to amused confusion. Her grip on his sleeve tightened, and she gave a small sigh.

"I don't know what you want me to say." She told him, shaking her head. "What would get through to you? Would you listen to me? Does this have anything to do with... with whatever your father did?"

"I love you, Scarlett." He said suddenly, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him, startled by the sudden change in him and stilled by his words. Feeling her lip was trembling, she bit down on it and forced her nerves to calm as he spoke to her slowly. "I love you. With all my heart, whatever part of it may be left. Please. Please just try to understand that, and believe me... I would lay down my life for you. I can't... I can't imagine ever loving anyone else in the world..."

"Brian!" Her voice was harsh, like a slap in the face. His head snapped up from its bowed position and he looked at her, startled. She shrugged the hands away from her shoulders and jabbed at the man in the chest angrily. "You idiot! What the hell does this have to do with anything?" Her eyes were emerald flames as her voice rose. "Here I am, trying to bring your sorry ass back from whatever hellhole you fell into, and you give me this crap about loving me? When the hell have you ever needed to say anything like that, huh? When did your actions suddenly become not good enough?" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself but failing. "Is your freaking self esteem so bad that you thought I didn't love you? Where did this whiny-ass begging come from? Hm?"

Speechless, Brian just stared at her. He'd grown up in a household where love was never shown between family members, only spoken through empty words. All his life, he'd been trying to find a way to make these words true, to find out the secret behind making them sincere. Now here with the only girl he'd ever truly loved, she was telling him he was wrong to be trying so hard. The word 'love' came so easily, so profoundly, to her, he found that be believed her instantly.

She continued to glare at him, but her brows were starting to quiver with supressed emotions. "Idiot." She choked out, turning to face the tombstone again, not sparing another glance in his direction. He thought so lowly of himself. He believed he wasn't good enough. The very concept made her want to laugh. A man like himself, with his commanding prescence and powerful charm, believed he wasn't worth the love of a fiery girl with a broken past. Believed she didn't love him, because it was impossible to love someone like him. "I love you." She told him now, her voice stronger than she felt. "I thought that was obvious. Now can you quit the whining and tell me what the hell you're doing here?"

His mouth felt dry now. So desperately, he wanted to speak to her, to pour out his heart and open up to her, the only sunlight in his life. So why wouldn't his tongue move? Why wouldn't his lips open? Why did his throat tighten and his heart constrict in his chest? After all she'd spilled to him, he was unable to do the same for her. He couldn't find the strength to truly open up... but what if he imagined she wasn't there? He was by himself, numb to the truth he'd speak, pretend he'd never said anything to her. He could do that. Just act as though he had nothing to lose. "My father died, eight years ago."

Scarlett didn't bother saying that she already knew. This was his story to tell, from the very beginning, and she wouldn't influence it in the slightest bit. Almost like she wasn't there at all, just a wisp of air that couldn't hear, couldn't judge him.

"It happened right in front of me." He continued. "He and I lived in the city that time, with my mother. Tam had run away about a year ago. She'd run into Ben on the streets, and he took care of her. That's how he and my mother met, when she went out searching for her because the police weren't doing any good." He swallowed thickly, remembering all to clearly his sister's defiant face, smeared with dirt and blood from living out on the street. The white-haired man beside her, just as ragged, but obviously willing to protect her should the need arise. That was when she'd slipped away from him. That was when the bond they'd shared was broken.

Scarlett could understand that, the breaking of a bond with a sibling. The same thing had happened when Leah decided that despite everything she'd trained for since the day she was born, she would dump all the responsibility on Scarlett's fragile shoulders while she ran off to medical school. The feeling of betrayel, of fear, as that person that had been beside you every second of every day slipped away from you.

"I hadn't met Hawk or Maria yet." The man looked up at the sky, which was steadily beginning to circulate with heavy gray clouds. Wonderful. "My father... my father was involved in drug dealing. The leader of a huge organization called the Shadow. The money was good, and we could afford a big house. At that time, I didn't really understand why it was so wrong..." He closed his eyes for a long moment before continuing. "The police in those parts turned the other way. They bartered with my dad for the drugs he smuggled from Mexico. Even when... even when he began killing... they pretended not to know. My mother knew as well, but she was too afraid of him to say anything. Tam was the only smart one, running away at the time she did."

Pieces were slowly starting to fall together in Scarlett's mind. Ben's close relationship with Tam, Gracia's fear of the past, Tam's refusal to believe anything about her father related to her in any way.

"The first time I saw him kill was a guy named Red. He was a close friend of my mother's, and I knew him well. But when he claimed not to have the money to cover my dad's shipment, he pulled out a gun and shot him." This was said so bluntly, so easily, it sounded strange in his own ears. "He told me I'd be doing the same soon. I had a job to do, he said. My sister was a failure in his eyes, but I was strong. I could put up with the work."

That rueful tone his voice told Scarlett that he still loved his father at that time, and regretted it. Despite all he'd done, he was bound to him by loyalty and blood. It seemed that with every sentence he spoke, another chain was binding itself around him. He was so trapped.

"I couldn't stand it anymore after about a year of being taught the 'art of killing'." His voice was sarcastic, rising slightly in anger. "I tried to stand up for myself. I told him I couldn't watch while he stole life after life from people he decided weren't allowed to live any longer. I didn't want this life for myself, when the time came." The numb stoicness in his deep voice seemed to give way slightly, allowing a tiny bit of that endless pain to show through. "He just laughed at me. Told me I was the dumbest kid he'd ever met. Here I was, being offered a good, steady job that would support a family and then some, and I was complaining. He wasn't my father after that. He was just... a monster. One that shared my blood."

"There was another gang that ruled up North. They had an on-going rivalry with my father. One day their leader, a guy that they called Scourge, challenged him to a one-on-one fight. My dad wouldn't refused." He voice was shaking so terribly, Scarlett had to resist the urge to tell him to stop, that it wasn't nessecary for him to torture himself this way. "He gutted him. Right in front of all of us. His men, my father's men... we all watched as his blood spilled from his body, as the light died from his eyes, as the last trace of disbelief on his face melted to fear, then to an almost peaceful expression..."

"Scaaaaaarleeeeett~~!" A voice suddenly sounded over the gentle lapping of the lake on the shore and the wind whistling through the grass. Both spun around, spotting Faith on top of the hill, waving to them enthusiastically with her silver hair billowing in the wind. Beside her was Craig, his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and a small, hardly visible smile on his face. Stan was on Faith's other side, looking relieved to see that the two were okay. And behind them all, peeking over Faith's shoulder, was Tam, who had the only stoic face on the bunch.

After several moments, Scarlett's face split into a grin and she raised her hand to wave. "Hey! What're you guys doing here?" Brian appeared disgruntled for a moment as Tam looked at him, obviously seeing the weakness on his face. So he turned away, staring at the lake as their four companions approached them across the grass. Faith wrapped her arms around Scarlett's neck and laughed. "We were so worried about you! You've been gone forever now! Stan was especially worried, weren't you?" She stuck her tongue out at her brother, who blushed and denied it quickly.

"You told them I'd be here." Brian spoke softly to Tam. Only Craig heard, since the others were bust crowding Scarlett. The tawny-haired young woman nodded after a long moment. He didn't speak for a moment longer, not quite sure whether to be happy his conversation with Scarlett had ended or disappointed. "What did you tell them?" He finally asked softly, noticing Craig's narrow blue gaze trained on them.

"The bare basics." She told him dismissively, waving her hand. "The hell, Brian, why're you being so defensive? The way you act, everyone knew something was up. You make it so obvious." As always, she found amusement in seeing the annoyance cross his face. "They were worried about you two. I wanted to go myself, but they wouldn't leave me alone." Her tone softened to something like fondness, her gaze traveling from one face to another. "They're not that much younger than us, are they? That's such a weird feeling..."

"Hey, guys?" Craig said suddenly, alerting the attention of the others. He squinted off into the distance, where a blurry black shape seemed to be approaching. "That's a big van. Why isn't it driving on the road, exactly? Hey... I think it's coming toward us..." The black-haired boy's gaze was soon followed by the others, who expressed their confusion as well. "I'm quite sure that's illegal..." "Who knows. We're in Texas, after all." "Stan, that's racist." "What? Since when did Texan become a race?"

"Brian, isn't that...?" Tam's startled voice was enough to shut up the bickering siblings. She stared at Brian, who appeared too shocked to say anything as the van approached steadily closer. "Brian! What do we do?" Her voice was becoming more urgent as a man leaned out the side of the van, holding something in his hands. Brian suddenly jolted, coming back to his senses. "Everybody, get down!" He called, just as the first shots rang out. All six dropped to their stomachs, the bullets grazing by them through the air.

"Brian!" Scarlett screamed, "What's happening?"

"It's the Shadow." Brian muttered as the van pulled up beside the tombstone, the screeching of the brakes assaulting his eardrumbs. Slowly, he stood up, his hands raised in surrender. "It's just me, guys. It really wasn't nessecary to shoot."

"Well, how the hell was I supposed to know it was you?" The man you'd been shooting out the side snorted, his rifle slung over his shoulder. He had black-striped gray hair that was slicked back over his head. On his leather vest was a little nametag that read, 'Hello, my name is Dennis.' It would have been harmless enough, had it not been splattered with long-since blackened blood. "What're you doin' with these kids? They got any juice on them?"

"No, Dennis." His voice was forcibly patient, though there was worry there too. "First of all, they're underage. Second of all, do any of them look like they could've gotten their hands on any sort of drugs? Honestly. None of them look like they just came from Mexico."

"Yeah, guess you're right about that. They're too pale. Would've baked in the sun." Dennis snorted, tapping the rifle. "Yo, what's that kid's name? The red-haired girl?"

Before Brian could respond, Scarlett sat up. "My name's Scarlett Thundera."

A slow, unholy grin spread its way over Dennis' cruel mouth. "Well, well! Isn't this exciting! Why didn't you tell me you got the daughter, Brian?"

"Um..." Before Brian could respond, two of the other men in the truck leapt out. Cursing under his breath, he met eyes with Tam, who gave him an equally despondant look.

"In the truck." One of the men muttered under his breath. He held a rifle similiar to Dennis', and he prodded it at Brian's back. "All of you."

"You can't take them!" Tam protested. "They're students!" She was quickly silenced by a whack in the head with the butt of the rifle.

"I'd quiet down if I was you, missy." Dennis cackled. "Where we're goin', age don't matter in the least bit."

* * *

**So... characters introduced/mentioned:**

**Red- Redtail**

**Scourge- Scourge**

**Dennis- Darkstripe**

**Yep. Remember guys, the fanart contest is still going! Draw your favorite character, scene, whatever, and send it to me by email. I am ayla505 on . **

**Reviewers: Nightkill, an anonymous reviewer (GODDAMIT PEOPLE. BEN IS BLACKSTAR. DX), esthersim714, Sparkheart Of ThunderClan, Queen Of The Pens, winterthaw of thunderclan, tufted titmouse, BleedingDove, and Stargazer2000.**

**Thank you all so much for your support and reviews! **

**Review? X3 Please?**


	10. Chapter 10

When Scarlett next awoke, it was to an unpleasant throbbing sensation in her head and her cheek pressed against the cold metal of the van as they sped down the bumpy road. For the longest time, she didn't open her eyes. Her mouth felt terribly dry, and there was a sharp pain coming from the side of her cheek where she must have bit it. Her tongue probed at the ragged flesh, and she tasted blood. Vague memories of punching and kicking the man who tried to force her into the van flashed in her mind, followed by the painful crack of the rifle's butt on the back of her head. She'd fallen unconcious after that.

She sat up slowly, groaning as the pounding in her head increased. Her hands were bound behind her back by chains that rubbed her wrists raw when she tried to free herself. A scraping sound beside her captured her attention suddenly, and she peered into the darkness, not able to see what she shared the space with. "Hello?" Her voice was raspy and dry, and she swallowed before trying again. "Who's there?"

"Scarlett?" Stan sounded just as bad as her. He crawled closer to her so that they could see eachother in the gloom. "Thank God you're alright. He hit you hard with that gun. Are you sure you're okay, though? Maybe you should rest a bit longer, or something..."

"Stan." She interrupted. "Thanks for your concern, but honestly that isn't the problem right now. If you haven't noticed, we've been trapped in a speeding van for, oh, about ten hours now, I suspect. Our captors obviously don't care whether they harm us or not. We have no idea what they're planning to do whenever we get to where they're taking us. My health is hardly the most important thing at this point."

He was silent for a moment, and finally muttered, "You logic annoys me greatly." Scarlett could hear the sound of him shuffling into a sitting position beside her, and she suspected his hands were bound as well. "Have you see anyone else?"

"I can't really _see_ anything in here." Scarlett answered, rather unhelpfully.

"Wait a minute! I found someone!" Stan's voice rose a bit, though he had enough sense to keep it at a hushed whisper. He was kicking at a shape infront of his feet that groaned softly. "Hey, I think it's Craig... Yeah, I can see his hair. But what's that beside him...?" His face suddenly flushed as the slow realization dawned on him. Craig lay with his body curled around Faith, as though protecting her. He remembered vaguely his sister's struggles to get free, and how the men had attempted to whack her with the gun repeatedly. Stan had been half-unconcious at that point, brought down by a blow to the head as Scarlett had been, and he now suspected that Craig had taken the assault for the silver-haired girl.

Scarlett had to stop herself from laughing out loud. "Wow." She grinned, looking at Stan's half-angry and half-confused expression. "Bet you didn't expect that."

"Stop kicking..." Craig muttered under his breath as Stan aimed another kick at his head. The boy shifted slightly, then stiffened as he let out a low hiss of pain. "Faith." He muttered, sitting up with some difficulty. "Faith, are you alright?" Looking down at the silver-haired girl, his brows furrowed in worry. While they'd been unconcious, she had begun to shiver, and so he'd wrapped his arms more firmly around her to attempt to keep her warm. Had that nout been enough? "Faith... hey, Faith!"

"Shut up." Faith grumbled, pulling sighs of relief from both Craig and Stan. She blinked open her eyes and sat up slowly, the shackles on her wrists jangling. Looking around at her friends, it took awhile for things to fall into place. "So... does anybody know where we're going...?"

All eyes turned to Scarlett, who blinked in surprise. "Me? Wait, why would I know?"

"You're the one hopelessly in love with Mr. Garra." Craig explained, cocking one eyebrow at her startled expression. "We figured you'd have the best best idea of where the hell these guys were taking us. They obviously had some sort of relation to him... and you, it seemed. The guy Dennis acted like they'd been looking for you."

"Wait, hold on!" Stan interrupted. "How come I know nothing about this? Scarlett, you and Mr. Garra...?" He trailed off, dropping his gaze and clearing his throat to try and erase the hurt tone his voice betrayed. "Craig, how did you know?"

"I've got big ears." Was the black-haired boy's reply, complete with the rolling of his eyes. "It's been pretty obvious. Hey, what's wrong with you, anyway?"

"Huh?" Stan blushed, not having realized he'd zoned out. "Um- it's... it's nothing. Just... uh, nothing." He forced a small laugh, though it was apparently convincing enough, as the only one who looked at him strangely was Faith. Did she feel the way his heart hurt? They often seemed to be able to tone into eachothers emotions. Did she think it was ridiculous that he felt this way? After all, he and Scarlett were never together in the first place. It wasn't like they ever would be, either. "Erm.. continue with... whatever you were saying."

"So." Craig began again, looking at Scarlett. "Do you know where we're going?"

"All I know is these people are part of an organization called the Shadow." Scarlett answered him, her solemn tone especially dark in the reverberating metal of the van. "They're involved in drug dealing, apparently. They smuggle drugs from places like Mexico. Brian's father used to be their leader before he died."

The hushed silence was followed by a tiny, polite cough from Faith. "So, that being said... it's safe to assume that Mr.- ahem, _Brian_- is a... a criminal?" There was no accusation in her voice, though the underlying current of fear was enough to set Scarlett's teeth on edge.

"He's still the same!" She protested quickly. "Nothing's changed! He's... he's still the same guy..."

"Scarlett." Craig's voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "You know that's not the case. That most certainly changes everything. And to answer your question, Faith... yes, I believe that's fair to assume. Why else would they know him by name? And more importantly, why would he know them? Something isn't right here at all. Scarlett, is there anything else you know?"

For a moment, she was tempted to tell him about that night. Lark's bloodied body on the floor of her apartment, Brian beaten and listless, the strange men that had appeared at her door hours later. But how could she tell them about that? With their trust in the English teacher already shaken, how could she tell them about the girl whole death Brian may or may not have had a part in? There was no way. "No, nothing else."

"Hey, guys." Stan spoke suddenly, alerting his companions' attention. "Um, just wondering... does anybody even know where Brian is?"

Again, all eyes turned to Scarlett, who appeared shocked at the sudden realization that the subject of their conversation was, in fact, absent. He had in fact been the first thing on her mind when she'd awoken, but she had assumed he'd be sitting up front, since he obviously knew these people. But as Stan's words sank in, she realized how ridiculous that was. Brian obviously wasn't on good ground with these men.

"...I'm here..."

The gusty sigh of relief escaped her lips before she could stop it as she heard the dry voice of the English teacher come from the other wide of the van. "Thank God... Brian, why didn't you tell us you were here? That scared me so badly, I swear..."

The voice groaned softly as slowly, Brian pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. His vision was swimming terribly, and his head pounded as though firecrackers were going off in his brain. "Where... where are you...?" He was vaguely aware of watching silently as blood swam down the side of his face, dripping steadily onto the metal ground below. It stung his eye as he tried to look around, unable to focus before his vision blurred.

Faith peered through the darkness, able to see quite a bit better now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. She spotted him almost immediately, teetering precariously on his hands and knees. Moving towards him, she placed a hand on his shoulder, then froze when she saw the blood beneath him. "He's hurt." She reported, her voice tightly controlled.

Scarlett made her way over immediately, crawling through the darkness past Craig and Stan. By his side now, she could clearly see the wound on his head, stretching from the center of his forehead to his left temple. Blood trickled down his face, over his eye which he now held closed, and on to the ground. He was breathing heavily, she noticed, and when she reached out to touch his face his skin was ice cold.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, thinking furiously over the first aid she'd learned from her sister, the massive doors of the van swung open. She looked up immediately, nearly blinded by the moonlight and city lights that flooded into the cramped space. Two men stood outside, one was recognizable as Dennis, the other was a massive brown-haired brute with a nose that looked like it'd been broken a fair number of times.

"Heh, looks like Brian's finally awake." Dennis snorted distastefully at the brown-haired young man, who glared back at him through one eye. Dennis looked at Scarlett and then Faith, then finally to the two boys in the back. Tam was being held by the other man, and she appeared remarkably unscratched compared to the rest of them. She hadn't fought as the others had, knowing it wouldn't do any good to get herself beaten up before a legitimate chance to escape came. However, her eyes widened at seeing the state Brian was in, the wound on his head bleeding profusely.

"What are you planning to do?" Scarlett asked when it appeared nobody had anything else to say.

Dennis began to laugh, as though genuinely amused by her question. "Wouldn't you like to know, missy?" He cackled, patting Tam on the shoulder roughly. "Now, now, why can't you be like your friend here? She's been cool as a cucumber this whole time." In response, the tawny-haired woman glared daggers at him and shrugged the hand off her shoulder. "Well, well. Getting fiesty, I see. You two are quite a bit alike." He jabbed his thumb in Brian's direction absently. "You're just a hell of a lot more stubborn." Turning again to his men, he began barking orders. "Alright, get 'em in the base."

The men hopped into the van and began to gather up their prisoners, prying Scarlett off of Brian with quite a bit of difficulty. Both Stan and Faith were led out somewhat peacefully, and Craig followed at the pleading of Faith. Scarlett and Brian came last, Scarlett still struggling and Brian trying his best just to stay on his feet. One by one, the guards prodded them forward until they were met with the massive doors of a long-abandoned warehouse. Scarlett's eyes widened as she looked up, her gaze trailing over the building that she was sure would soon become their prison.

Dennis knocked on the door impatiently, and soon a small compartment in the door slid open and an eye peeked outward at them. "Password."

"TigerClan." Dennis said. The compartment slid shut again, and after the sound of many locks being undone, the doors slid open with a gutteral groan. Dennis entered first, closely followed by the prisoners, who were urged inside by the guards at their back. Scarlett blinked as she entered, not quite expecting the brightly lit room and her eyes stinging after being in the dark for so long. The dank scent of the warehouse reminded her of the old alleyways she used to visit Shane and Spencer in as a child, and the heavy brick walls added to the illusion.

"Welcome to the Shadow." A man behind her spoke, the one with the badly broken nose. He sneered contemptuously at her, to which she glared in reply. "Home sweet home, missy. You'd better get used to it." He leaned closer as he spoke, and she flinched back to avoid his hot breath. "Fat chance." She muttered defiantly, to which the man laughed. "Fiesty."

"Oi, Broken." Dennis waved the crooked-nosed man to his side, where they began to speak to eachother in hushed voices. In the distraction, Scarlett looked over at Brian. The blood had begun to dry on his face, and she could see the bleeding had slowed to an almost complete stop. He still seemed woozy, lurching forward every once and a while before regaining his balance and straightening up again. He caught her gaze for a moment through his eye that wasn't sealed shut with blood, and the guilt there threw her off guard.

Before she could say anything, one of the men behind her prodded her roughly in the back and the prisoners were herded forward. Through a dark, dank corridor, past numerous cells, all of which stank of blood and drugs. Finally, they were stopped in front of a particularly large cell which was filled with dirty, ragged people, all of which had a complexion similar to Gracia's.

One by one they were pushed into a smaller cell beside this one, connected to it by only a tiny window. Faith landed clumsily on top of an empty burlap sack in the corner after having been pushed down, and Stan fell beside her. Craig ended up skidding on his stomach, and then was landed on by Scarlett, who apoligized and scooted off his back. Tam plopped in, unconcious from a sharp blow to the head. Last came Brian, who was allowed to walk in with minimal violence.

Craig sat up slowly, his rigid blue glare fixed on Brian. "So," he began slowly, brushing dust off of his black jacket. "Are you going to tell us what the hell is going on, Brian? Why exactly were we kidnapped and brought to an abandoned warehouse after a ten-hour drive? And could you please tell us why these people know you?" His voice was somewhere between careful control and rage, and Scarlett could see from the way his hands kept clenching and unclenching that he was having a hard time keeping his anger in check.

Brian looked at him silently for a long time, slumping down against the wall across from him. With an unsteady hand, he wiped away the blood that had dried over his eye, only managing to get enough of it off for him to open his eye a slit. "These guys are called the Shadow." He told him, his voice somewhat slurred. "They're involved in smuggling drugs. Those guys in the cell next to us are probably being held captive to blackmail a Mexican drug-dealing company into getting them a better deal."

Stan scooted closer to the window and peered through it. Closest to him was a girl about his age with long brown hair and haunted gray eyes. "Hello?" He said softly, realizing there was no glass in the window. The girl looked up, startled, then tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What's your name?" He asked her, smiling kindly so she knew he wasn't an enemy.

"Brook." The girl answered, smiling back as she moved closer to him. Several of her companions glared suspiciously at him from behind her, but she seemed to be ignoring them. "Who are you?" She asked in heavily accented english.

"Stan." The gray-haired boy answered before his face solemned. "Hey, we were captured and brought here, and my friends and I kind of suspected the same thing happened to you and your friends. Would you happen to be from Mexico? Was there a reason you were brought here?"

Brook confirmed Brian's theory, and when Stan turned around, his face was ashen. "This isn't good."

"No, really?" Craig muttered. "But Brian, you still haven't told us how you're involved with these guys. How do they know you?"

Scarlett was at Brian's side by now, trying to keep him concious for just a little bit longer to answer Craig's questions. He started when she patted his shoulder and fixed his bleary gaze on Craig. "I work for them."

Scarlett's hand tightened on his shoulder as he continued. "Four years ago, my little half-brother Hawk disappeared. The Shadow came to me, saying they were holding him captive and that in order to get him back I'd have to work for them. There... there was no way I could refuse. Maria was angry at me, saying it was my fault that he was gone, that I should have protected him. That, and they said if I didn't help them, they would kill the rest of my family." He swallowed hard. Funny the truth should spill out so easily when he was on the edge of conciousness.

"So all you've been doing was to save your brother and the rest of your family?" Everything was fitting together. To fulfill some kind of vow he'd made to protect Hawk, he was willing to risk his own life. He believe he was keeping his family safe, when all he was doing was hurting them by taking everything on his own shoulders. The pain she'd seen when he watched Lark's life ebb away, that guilt when he'd looked at her, it was all because bonds of blood and love were slowly digging into him, killing him from the inside. And he'd suffered alone.

Even Craig was silent. He'd had more than his fair share of rough patches, but this was far beyond what even he had witnessed. Swallowing deeply, he pretended to be busy checking up on Tam, surveying the injury on her head. Faith helped him, not quite able to look at Brian now that she knew his story. Stan was deep in conversation with Brook, and Scarlett held Brian's hand as his eyes slowly close and he slipped into sleep.

She squeezed that hand tight, her emerald eyes narrowing to slits. She would make this right. Now that she knew, now that she understood, nothing would stop her. Brian's heart would be free.

* * *

**Introducing Craig! The one-and-only Fanfiction certified human meatshield!**

**Ever been beat by ruthless drug dealers? Well, then do I have a deal for you! Craig protects against 43.8430358378% of attacks! Faith approved!**

**I would be a terrible spokesperson. o.e**

**So. Brian's not dead, people. Just unconcious. Beating up my characters is fun.**

**God, why are you people so bent out of shape about Faith? She hasn't even died yet! Grr! You guys just want to take all the fun out of this for me, don't you? DX The killing is the best part.**

**REMEBER! THE FANART CONTEST IS STILL OPEN! Draw your favorite scene, character, couple, whatever, and send it to me, ayla505 on GMX!**

**My reviewers: Queen Of The Pens, Stargazer2000, SharpWhisper, and Sparkheart of ThunderClan.**

**Thank you all for your support! X3 Keep the reviews coming!**

***I won't be updating for about a week, 'cause I have to go on vacation. You guys have to wait in suspense. TROLOLOLOL.**

**Review, and get a free Craig!**


	11. Chapter 11

Several hours passed, and none of the six could get to sleep, except for Brian, who was still unconcious at this point. Tam had woken up only moments earlier, a bump on her head the size of an egg. She'd appeared confused for a moment, but Craig and Faith quickly filled her in on what had happened. Stan was still speaking to Brook. He said he was getting information about the place, but it was obvious by the way he was laughing and grinning that the two had really hit it off. Scarlett sat now far away, Brian's head in her lap, staring down at him. Every once and awhile, she'd brush a stray strands of hair from his face, and his eyes would twitch.

"Hey, Scarlett." Stan said suddenly, making her jump. She looked at him, remembering that there were other people in the room. "Erm, yeah? What is it?" Settling Brian down on the floor gently, she crawled over to Stan and looked through the small window. Replacing Brook in the slit was an elderly woman, her black-and-white hair cascading down her back in beaded brades. Her gray-casted skin was wrinkled and leathery, her eyes small, bright, and black. She had a small smile on her mishappen mouth as she nodded to Scarlett. "Thundera, no?"

"Uh... yeah." Scarlett nodded, pushing Stan out of the way so she could be closer to the window. "My name is Scarlett Thundera. How do you know my name, exactly?"

The old woman didn't answer her question, just nodded deeply in understanding. "Midnight." She told her, pointing to herself with one gnarled finger. "There are six, correct? Strange, very strange. Stars said four." Without giving any explanation to what she was saying, Midnight reached out to the girl through the slit. Scarlett found she couldn't move away, not even when the woman's index finger met with the center of her forehead. Scarlett shut her eyes immediately, and it was almost as though her brain did a doubletake on itself. When she opened her eyes again, she had to blink several times to get her vision straight.

The woman laughed, though her eyes were solemn. "Lover of the pariah's son. The stars did say they had doubt. I am only glad you gave him strength to make his way here." Midnight frowned deeply, and it was as though a shadow fell across her face. "That boy, he is important. Very important. Heal his heart, girl, for though you love him, it will not give him the strength he needs to face this truth." Scarlett only stared at her, not understanding any of it, but hanging on every word the woman said. "And when the time comes, may you beware the man whose name alone suggests the death of fire. His love is the kind that will turn all you love to ashes."

Scarlett backed away, as if pushed by an invisible force, with only a nod to Midnight to show she understood. Which she didn't. As she moved out of the way, Stan took her place again, glancing back at her in confusion for a moment. Scarlett listened as Midnight spoke to Stan, telling him to allow the destiny his sister led to take its course. He appeared uneasy, asking her several times what this destiny was, and what she meant. She said nothing however, and the conversation stopped abruptly when two members of the Shadow suddenly approached the cell and began unlocking the door. They pulled some of the people out, one by one, and Stan gasped sharply when they grabbed Brook.

"Brook!" He exclaimed, crawling to the front of their own cell and grasping the bars. "Brook! Hey, where are you taking her?" Frantic, Stan turned to look at the others, seeing that Tam had recovered and that Brian was beginning to stir. "Guys, we have to help her! Maybe they left a key or something- I don't know... Scarlett, did you see-"

"Just shut up for a moment." Craig interrupted, effectively stemming the string of hysterics coming from the other boy. "I've got this." Faith put one hand on his shoulder questioningly, but he only nodded in response. He too approached the front of the cell and stuck his hand through the bars. "Crowfeather!" He called softly. Suddenly, a tiny gray-black creature moved in the shadows, slowly unfurling to reveal a small cat with pale blue eyes. In his jaws, he held what appeared to be a bundle of keys. The kitten approached Craig, set the keys in his hand, and accepted his praise with a curt nod before melding back into the shadows with only a single glance back at Faith.

Craig pulled the keys through the bars, then noticed Stan's amazed glance. "What?" He muttered, somewhat annoyed. "He's my cat. He followed us here, I guess. I knew he's been there the entire time. Sorry. I only told Faith. But it was better you guys didn't know until he got the keys." Standing up, Craig began to fiddle with the lock on the door while Faith looked on in admiration. She nudged her brother with her elbow and grinned. "See, I told you he was brilliant."

Meanwhile, Scarlett and Tam helped Brian sit up, and he was soon alert despite his obvious wooziness. Scarlett had managed to clean away most of the dried blood from his face, and there was no fresh bleeding, which she was thankful for. In quick, hushed words, Scarlett explained how Brook had been taken and Craig was trying to break them out of the cell. She didn't dare mention her conversation with Midnight before she knew what it meant herself for the sake of not worrying him in his already critical situation. "I'm not really sure what we're going to do when we get out," she explain, her hand tightening around his. "I don't think any of us really have a plan. But we're gonna get out of here, I promise." And for once in her life, she was sure this was a promise she could keep.

"Got it." Craig said suddenly, as the lock clanked to the ground. The door swung open almost immediately, and they all stood. Craig made a signal to keep quiet and exited the cell silently, Faith's hand grasped tightly in his own. He pulled her into the shadows and gestured for the others to do the same. Stan came next, ushering Scarlett and Tam to hurry up with a stumbling Brian. All safely outside the cell, they crept forward down the dank hallway, avoiding eye contact with the hollow faces of the other prisoners. A sudden scream split the air, and Craig hissed an order to get down. All six flattened themselves against the ground as best they could as two guards rushed by, a mutilated body held between them. Faith made a gagging sound after they'd passed, and Craig put a hand on her shoulder as what little comfort he could provide.

"We need to keep going." Brian said softly, shouldering past Craig. The black-haired boy stood immediately, grabbing hold of Brian's sleeve. Brian looked back at him, watching as the heavy defenses in those pale blue eyes flickered to uneasiness. "Do you know what you're doing?" He asked after a long moment. For all his strong talk and attempts at keeping the others safe, Craig was no leader. Not like Brian was. He recognized this, and accepted it. But his conviction in this case just wasn't strong enough for Craig to trust him, not with his own life or any of the others'. "Are you prepared for any of this?" When the young man still didn't answer, Craig dropped his hand and shook his head. "That's what I thought. I'm sorry, but Brian, we can't follow you into this if-"

"Then don't." Brian said before he could continue. "I got you all into this. If you want to go back to the cell, wait until it's safe, I'd be perfectly happy. I'll handle this by myself if I have to. Craig, take the others back and I'll get Brook and any of the others I can."

A whack on the back of his head made him lurch forward suddenly, and he spun around furiously on Scarlett, who stared at him with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. "You're really an idiot, you know?" She looked at Craig, and he nodded. Grinning, she looked back at Brian and pointed forward. "Lead the way."

Muttering under his breath about how they wouldn't let him be the hero just for once, Brian led the tightly clustered group down the long hallway. Noises became clearer as they reached a massive metal door at the end, and it was at the sickly sound of tearing flesh that all six stopped abruptly. Suddenly knowing what was happening, Brian reached behind him, grabbed Scarlett, and pulled her into his arms, covering her ears before the agonized scream echoed hauntingly through the corridor. For a long moment none of them moved. Scarlett slipped from Brian's arms shakily, and he gave her the best smile he could manage, which was more of a grimace. Faith seemed to be the worst off, her river-blue eyes stretched wide and her legs quivering. Craig nudged her gently, and she seemed to draw strength from his prescence, if only for a moment.

"Is everybody sure they don't want to go back?" Brian asked once more. All stood steady, even Faith seemed willing to go on. Tam looked behind her for a moment, then turned back to her brother. "Better hurry. Those guards are coming back." The brown-haired young man looked at Scarlett, who still stood by his side, steadfast as ever. Taking a deep breath, he shoved open the door, and they were suddenly flooded with the unnatural light coming from the ceiling of what could only be called an arena.

All around the massive area, crowding on the bleachers, were members of the Shadow. The rumble of the crowd, betting on who would die first, arguing over petty problems, was deafening. The arena itself was simple, with several piles of boxes, one of which climbing all the way to the ceiling. In the center were four people, bound with their hands behind their backs. Scarlett recognized Brook, staring in terror at the creature that approached them now. A massive dog, so huge each of its paws was about the size of a dinner plate. Slavering jaws snapped violently as it tried to reach the prisoners, who were suspended by a rope that was slowly being lowered to the ground. They were of no more use. The deal had been made. They were being disposed of in the most entertaining way possible.

"Brook!" Stan broke their cover as soon as they entered. Dashing over the ground, ignoring the dog that stared at his in bewilderment. "Brook!" He cried again, grabbing her as soon as the rope was lowered all the way and her feet touched the ground. "Come on, we need to get out of here-" It was then that he realized the people surrounding them, who were roaring now with laughter. The hero act wasn't played enough, but it sure was funny when it was. Bets were called as the others approached, gesturing madly for Stan to grab Brook and leave. But Brook hardly had time to scream, to warn him at all, as the massive mutt barreled into him. Watched helplessly as the dog's huge, razor-like teeth sliced deep into the flesh of his leg.

Stan's cry of pain and the intoxicating scent of fresh blood sent the dog into a frenzy. A low growl in its throat, the beast was snapping, tearing at the tendons in his leg. Stan fought back with all he had, wrestling the beast forward and onto its back. He was soon overpowered again, however, as claws grazed across his stomach. While the two battled, Brian led the others to free the prisoners who stood staring at the bloodbath before them. Brook's hands covered her mouth, and she begged them to help Stan. Brian only nodded, and turned to say something about a plain, when Scarlett came rushing at the dog with a trashcan lid in her hands. "Scarlett! Seriously? A trashcan lid?" But the girl didn't listen as she brought the heavy metal down on the mutt's head. Momentarily stunned, the creature went limp, and Stan crawled to the side, bleeding but alive.

The beast rounded on her, its hackles raised and lips drawn back in a ferocious snarl. Without hesitating, she hit the dog again, this time catching it full on the cheek. When a normal dog would whimper and cower, this one seemed to become even more enraged. It attacked fiercely, and Scarlett could hardly fend it off. Just as she was falling back, unable to hold him off, Tam appeared beside her, a plank of wood in her hand.

Meanwhile, Brian turned to the audience. Murmurs broke out as the group recognized him. What was one of their own doing in the arena? And Brian Garra, son of their revered leader, at that? "Stop this at once! How long have you been doing this kind of thing without authorization?"

"Authorization?" Dennis cackled from high up in the bleachers. "Authorization from who, boy? You?" Great peals of laughter came from the audience at this remark. Even the guards, who had returned at this point, did nothing to remove the trespassers, only watched with detatched amusement. "You were never in charge." Someone else sneered. "Yeah, you've just got the name. You ain't never been important for anything other than that." Another chimed in.

Teeth clenched, Brian whipped around, surveying the damage done. The first dog appeared to have been killed, but Tam kneeled on the ground, one hand pressed against her shoulder as blood trickled between her fingers. Scarlett was beside her, looking bruised and exhausted but trying to staunch the bleeding from the ragged wound in Stan's leg. Meanwhile, a second dog had been realeased and was watching Brian with a keen eye. Sharp eyes surveyed him silently, and a long pink tongue swiped over its black lips. Hunger had made it savage. Abuse had made it merciless. This creature would rip them all apart, as the one before it had tried to do. That was how they were programmed, to rip the life from prisoners no longer needed, to provide worthless criminals with cheap, gory entertainment.

Suddenly, in a whirl of spiked black-and-tan fur, the creatured whipped its gaze away from Brian and instead approached Craig, who sat kneeled beside Faith in the shadow of the huge pile of boxes. He gritted his teeth immediately, knowing without a doubt what the beast's intentions were. Without hesitating he pushed Faith to the side, and she rolled several feet before finally slowing enough to sit up and watch as the dog's jaws snapped closed on Craig's neck. However, his hands were on the mutt's jaws, prying them open just enough that the teeth didn't puncture his throat. Still he struggled beneath it while small trickles of blood stained the skin on his neck.

Brian was just about to rush forward, to lead the creature away, when he spotted Faith out of the corner of his eye. In deft, lithe movements, she was climbing the pile of boxes. The crowd around them was laughing loudly, some screaming out that she was going crazy. Ignoring them, the silver-haired girl balanced precariously at the top of the stack, staring down at the attack below. Her eyes, usually so warm and laughing, were narrowed now in intensity. She looked up momentarily, fixing in her gaze the ceiling light that dangled in front of her. Too late, Brian realized what she was doing. Too late, the words stuck in his throat. Too late, he knew if he'd been able to say anything, she wouldn't have listened anyway. But at the moment her feet left the teetering pile, he screamed, "Faith! No, don't do it!"

She leapt. Her hands gripped the hanging light and found purchase. For several terrible moments, she was suspended in the air, before the terrible creaking of the metal sounded. It snapped all at once, and Faith was falling rapidly, her silver hair billowing around her, her hands gripping the heavy light, her eyes wild with determination. Craig noticed her before the dog did. He looked up, momentarily distracted from the beast's attack, and his mouth opened for only a moment in shock. Then the light hit. It smashed, sending shards of glass and metal flying through the air, along with the dogs blood. Faith hit the ground with a sickening bump not far from it, having misjudged the landing by several feet. As the dog lulled to the side, dead on contact, Craig struggled to get to his knees. "Faith!" He choked, crawling forward.

From behind, the others appeared as well. Tam and Scarlett were helping to carry Stan, who pushed away from them and dropped beside his sister's motionless body. Scarlett, Tam, and Brian all sat as well, staring silently at the dent in the side of Faith's head. There was no blood. There was no other visible injury. But as her clouded blue eyes slid slowly to look at Craig's face, there was no doubt she knew what the injury meant. Even so, a small smile spread over her face as she looked at him, then Craig, than at each of her friends in turn. "Is... everyone alright?" Her voice was heavily distorted, but in the deathly silence that had fallen over them, they could all hear it perfectly.

"Yes." Craig choked, bowing his head as tears he'd been fighting to hold back spilled over his face. "Yes, Faith. Everyone... everyone is fine."

"Your... your neck..." Craig's fists clenched in the cement of the ground as she continued. "I wasn't... wasn't quick enough. You're hurt..." He looked up again at her face, seeing through his blurred vision the blood that had begun to trickle out the corner of her mouth. "It doesn't matter." He insisted in a strangled voice, forcing the tiniest smile. "You saved me, Faith. You saved us all. I couldn't ask for more than that. You... you were amazing." Faith closed her eyes for a moment, smiling. "Well, that's good, I guess." When she next opened them she looked at Stan, who had been staring, completely stricken, the entire time. No tears came to his eyes. Nothing registered on his face but the undying shock of watching his little sister sacrifice herself right in front of him. "Goodbye, Stan... be nice to Craig..."

Even the audience was relatively quiet, so the only sounds were the muffled sobs of Craig and Scarlett. Stan gulped heavily, staring at his sister's body, at her dull eyes that looked ahead, forever unseeing. "Faith...?" He whispered, reaching out one hand to touch her shoulder. "Faith... Faith, wake up..." His brows knit together for a moment in confusion. "Faith, it's me, Stan. You need to wake up. We have to get going..." Drawing away his hand, he looked at Tam, his movements sluggish and forced. "What's wrong with her? Why won't she wake up? She isn't hurt that badly. She can't be... no, she's fine, right."

At this moment, what the others wanted to hear was that she was still alive. That this was some prank, that she'd be awake and fine in a couple of moments. But Tam's voice was hard when she spoke, bringing the reality down on top of Stan. "No, Stan. She's dead."

* * *

**Umad, bro?**

**lololololololololol**

**/shot**

**So. Faith died. Stan having a mental breakdown. Brian being... erm... Brian.**

**WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE.**

**Remember the fanart contest! Give me a link in the description to your picture, or email it to me on GMX!**

**Reviewerzzz: GlimmerIcewood, Sparkheart of ThunderClan, Queen Of The Pens, Spottedwind19, Stargazer2000, Leo, winterthaw of thunderclan, Ivypool Luva, Nightkill, littlemisslibrarian, and Sunfeather15666.**

**I'm climbin' in yo windows, snatchin' yo doggies up, trynna kill 'em so chu betta hide yur dogs, hide yur pups, hide yur dogs, hide yur pups, hide yur dogs, hide yur pups, and hide yur poodles 'cause they're killin' everybody out here.**

**THAT'S FAITH'S THEME SONG.**

**Review? X3**


	12. Chapter 12

Shocked silence radiated throughout the room. Brian looked over the group, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction at their horrified expressions. The body of a teenage girl, broken and lifeless, her empty eyes staring out into oblivion. Perhaps that what was taken to prove to them all just how wrong everything about them was. This girl sacrificed her own life to save the rest of them from a bloody fate.

Suddenly, great peals of laughter rose from Dennis where he sat on the bleachers. He waved the guards who stood erect beside the door to his side, where they spoke in hushed voices, aiming pointed glances at the sullen group several times.

"Faith..." Stan mumured softly, shaking her shoulder as his voice quivered. "Faith." Tam only stared, her stony expression beginning to shake. Craig bent over Faith's body, tears sliding down his cheeks. Scarlett looked at Brian helplessly, wiping the tears from her own eyes. Over the past several months, they'd become such good friends, it seemed completely unreal that she would die now, in this forsaken place. "What will they do with us?" Scarlett asked, not even caring how weak her voice sounded. She however drew strength from Brian as he looked at her, calm and controlled. "Don't worry." He told her, then adressed the others. "We'll get out of here."

"Not right now, you won't." Dennis cackled, coming up from behind and clapping one gnarled hand on the young man's shoulder. Snickering, he backed up as guards began to flood over them, grabbing them one by one. Brian put up the most fight as they wrenched both of his wrists behind his back, trying to reach Faith's body, which was being hauled away now by the man Dennis had called Broken. He stopped his futile stuggle however as Dennis approached him and whipped out a long knife, which he held to his throat. Brian gulped heavily, feeling the cold metal press against his skin. "Wouldn't want any of your little squad to get hurt now, would we? Just settle down, Brian. They're gonna be fine just as long as you cooperate. Well... can't say that about the Thundera... but better the rest then none at all, eh?"

He sheathed the knife and began to walk away, ignoring Brian's shouts demanding for him to explain what he meant. "What do you want with Scarlett?" He yelled, renewing his struggles. He was quickly subdued however, and the guards began to shuffle the five away from the arena and towards a heavy metal door. They pushed it open, revealing a dark corridor that split into two different pathways. Some of the guards began to speak urgently to one another before Dennis called out directions, along with several insults to his apparently dimwitted comrades. At these orders, the guards split up, separating Scarlett and Brian from the others. Stan, still immobolized by shock, only stared uncomprehendingly as he, Craig, and Tam were escorted down the hallway on the right. The last glimpse he got of them was Scarlett looking over her shoulder fearfully.

"What are you going to do with us?" She asked the guard holding her arm softly. The buff man gave her a cold look and shook her arm roughly. "Keep quiet." He growled, looking at his companions with a snicker. Scarlett met Brian's gaze for only a split second before he looked away. He didn't know where they were going. That was obvious from the way he tensed at every turn and kept looking around, searching for some kind of landmark. For so long, he'd been sure that he'd been to every crevice in the Shadow's headquarters. It seemed he was wrong. Dead wrong. Every single direction he looked, more doors, more hallways, more things kept from him by the people who'd imprisoned him since the day he was born. All this time, all he'd been to them was a name. A name that got them special priveledges.

At last they came to an ebony door at the end of the hallway. Suddenly, their captors appeared restless, speaking to themselves in hushed voices about what to do. "Should we just push them in and leave?" One suggested, to which another replied, "No, he'll punish us later." Through the general discontent, Brian exchanged a confused look with Scarlett, which the guard named Broken noticed. Grumbling under his breath, the massive man yanked the door open roughly and grapped Brian roughly by the sleeve of his shirt, pushing him inside. Scarlett came next, before she could even voice her annoyance. The door slammed shut, and the two were plunged into darkness. In the background, the soft, haunting melody of a song played on a cheap radio could be heard.

_Hello, I'm your martyr,__ will you be my gangster?  
Can you feel my trigger hand, moving further down your back?  
When you hide, hide inside that body  
But just remember that, when I touch you  
The more you shake, the more you give away_

Scarlett scooted her way closed to Brian, her hand closing over his. "Brian..." She whispered, her voice shaking. Brian didn't reply, only wrapped his other arm over her protectively when the sound of soft laughter sounded from not far away. "Who's there?" He demanded, feeling Scarlett press closer against him. The muffled sound of footsteps on the cold concrete floor came with the next chuckle, slightly louder than the last. A voice, a young man's, cold as ice and smooth as a snake's. "What's wrong, brother?" The man whispered, making Brian stiffen immediately in shock. "That's dissapointing, I have to say. After all these years, you don't even have the decency to remember who I am. What would father say, I wonder? He'd be dissapointed as well, I know that. His prized little son, all grown up, but stupid as he can be."

A cold, flickering light suddenly flooded the room from a dim bulb dangling from the ceiling. Standing below it, a bloody knife in his hand, was a tall man. He was identical to Brian as far as the features of his face, though his skin and hair was darker, and his eyes were the eeriest shade of ice-blue. He smirked at Brian's stricken expression, at Scarlett's confusion, as he lifted the knife to his mouth and licked blood from its shining surface. His cold eyes flickered to Scarlett, and his face morphed to an expression of interest. He kneeled down beside her, taking her face in one hand. "Well, hello there, beautiful." He murmured, noting with amusement the way she flinched away from his blood-laden breath. "You don't remember me, either. Quite a surprise." As he leaned in slowly, a sudden force slammed into him, and the knife was knocked away from him. The man stumbled back, watching silently as the knife clattered to the ground noisely. He looked then at Brian, who had taken his place beside Scarlett.

_Cold, but I'm still here, blind, 'cause I'm so blind, say never_  
_We're far from comfortable this time_  
_Cold, now we're so cold, mine, and you're not mine, say never_  
_We're far from obvious this time_

He was obviously shaking, and still he looked at the man he'd once called his brother with as much defiance as possible. "Hawk..." Brian murmured, his eyes wavering with supressed emotion. "What the hell are you doing...? Why are you even here...?" He gulped heavily, looking away from his younger half-brother. "They said you were dead! Why... why would you let me believe that?" By this time, his thoughts had become too jumbled for him to speak straight. "After all I'd done to keep you out of this... you were with the Shadow the whole time...?"

"Don't delude yourself." After the crackling emotion of Brian's voice, Hawk's was almost comically blank. He jabbed his thumb in Scarlett's direction, then to a dark corner of the room that had been overlooked by the two shocked prisoners. Standing on a stool, his neck tied in a noose that dangled from the stake he was tied to, his listless green eyes fixed on Scarlett, was Fiorella Thundera. Across his cheek was a raw red wound, probably the source of the blood on Hawk's knife. The breath hitched in Scarlett's throat as she saw her father, poised for death, and her hands flew to his mouth. "This is what we've been trying to do from the start, idiot." Hawk rolled his eyes. "You know. One of us does some act to make the kid terrified of us, the other befriends her, then together we bribe her to give over the Thundera fortune when she inherits it. Duh. Sometimes I really wonder what dad saw in a dimwit like you."

_Wait, another minute here, time will kill us after all_  
_Now can you feel its second hand wrapped around your neck_  
_So fall into my eyes, and fall into my lies_  
_But don't you forget_  
_The more you turn away, the more I want you to stay_

Brian's brows furrowed for the longest moment as he looked at Scarlett, then Hawk, then Scarlett again. Memories long-since buried because of the pain they brought were slowly resurfacing in his mind. The girl with the curly red hair, daughter of his father's arch rival when he'd still been a decent man with a business career. The girl who he was supposed to befriend. He'd done a bit more than that, actually. The girl who he was supposed to lead here. It suddenly made sense why he'd been so reluctant to let her in to his life. His mind was telling him to pay attention to his memories, to what what ultimately be this girl's demise. He'd been so stupid. But what has Hawk's part been again...? To harm the girl in some way. Watching Hawk, noticing in disgust how his tongue swiped over his teeth, no doubt savoring the taste of blood, he was reminded of those little scars on Scarlett's shoulder and collarbone. The scars she'd shown him once, where her attacker had dug his teeth deep into her skin, marking her forever, as he stole her innocence away from her. "It was you."

"What was me?" Hawk seemed genuinely confused for a moment, then his eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, that. Well, yeah, that was me. It was my job, remember? Not to say I didn't enjoy it. I'm sure she did, too..." He never got the chance to finish, and Brian leapt to his feet and slammed his fist into Hawk's jaw. His half-brother lurched backward, smirking. "What, did that hit a nerve? You can't stand the thought of your pretty little cheerleader underneath me, screaming 'stop, no!'?" He cackled rustily, earning another punch, this time to the gut. They kept coming now, fueled by ballistic rage. He'd never hated anybody quite as much as he hated his half-brother right now. Never before had he wanted to kill somebody as badly as he did Hawk, who just a few years ago was the most important person to him in his life. Who he'd wanted to protect from the fate their father set for them. For whom he'd become the big brother he'd lost, when his own brother Tad died. When Brian finally tired, he let his brother drop to the ground and stared down at him, not yet feeling as though he'd fulfilled the proper punishment for this monster.

_Cold, but I'm still here, blind, 'cause I'm so blind, say never_  
_We're far from comfortable this time_  
_Cold, now we're so cold, mine, and you're not mine, say never_  
_We're far from obvious this time_

Scarlett was immobile, looking at her father, then Brian, then Hawk. She didn't know what to do, who to believe, what was happening. Brian had betrayed her... or had he? No, he loved her. He never would do something like that. Hawk was the man who'd attacked her in the alley, years before. Her father was once rivals with Brian's father. There was too much to take in. Too much to think about. She couldn't move, couldn't do anything, not even warn Brian, as Hawk slowly reached for the gun in the holster of his belt. Hardly even noticed as he raised the weapon shakily, pointed it at his half brother, and pulled the trigger.

A muffled yell escaped Brian as the bullet dug into the flesh of his arm. He dropped to one knee, his opposite hand clutching at his injured arm as blood trickled onto the ground. Hawk cackled as he rose slowly, his face distorted from the punches Brian had landed. "You fool." He grinned, holding the gun up again. Brian's eyes widened immediately, and this time he couldn't hold back a cry of agony as the bullet tore into his shoulder. He crumbled to both knees, glaring up at Hawk with hate-filled eyes. The brown-haired man lowered the gun and shook his head. "You thought you could replace Tad." He murmured, his hand tightening on the metal. "You though you could be my big brother, like he was. I will always hate you for that, Brian." Another shot, to his leg this time. Brian was gasping for breath, sweat beading on his forehead, his face contorted in pain. "You will never be my brother. I always loved dad, more than you ever did. Still he favored you. Well, guess what? I'm his favorite now."

_You're so endearing, you're so beautiful,_  
_Well I don't look like they do, and I don't love like they do_  
_But I don't hate like they do_  
_Am I ever on your mind?_

The next sound was the strangled gasp of Fiorella Thundera as Scarlett snapped the rope binding his neck. The sharpened stake rolled to the ground, and Fiorella collapsed in his daughter's arms. Hawk noticed immediately, of course, and cursed under his breath. Leaving his brother gasping for breath on the ground, Hawk slipped the gun back into the holster and approached Scarlett at a brisk pace. Her father slipped to the ground as Hawk grabbed her roughly by the neck, pressing her against the wall. She stared at him, her eyes wavering as terror overcame her, his rank breath fanning over her face. "Well, well." Hawk snickered, licking his lips sadistically. "The little girly decided to save her daddy instead of her boyfriend, hm? That wouldn't make a very good romance story, would it?"

"Nope." Scarlett suddenly grinned, nodding to something over Hawk's shoulder with a wink. "That would be an awful ending." The bullet hit and the boom sounded before Hawk could comprehend what she meant. Brian, on his knees, struggling to stay upright, had slipped the gun from the holster, and shot his brother once in the back. The man lurched forward, Scarlett slipping from his grasp. She looked at Brian, whose arms were shivering now from exhaustion.

_Cold, but I'm still here, blind, 'cause I'm so blind, say never_  
_We're far from comfortable this time_  
_Cold, now we're so cold, mine, and you're not mine, say never_  
_We're far from obvious this time_

Suddenly, Hawk twitched. His shoulders moved, and he straightened up in slow, robotic moments. He turned around, ever so slowly, to face his brother. His eyes were crazed, and Brian noticed with a start that while one glowed its normal ice-blue, the other was golden amber. "You're a traitor." For a moment, two voices spoke as one, one was Hawk's himself, the other was one much older, deeper, more sane. Just as evil, though. He staggered forward, one hand outstretched toward Brian, blood making a trail behind him.

Without thinking, Brian felt behind him. The wooden stake, its sharp end pointing toward him, was by his side. In a swift moment, he gripped the coarse wood. Just as Hawk reached him, he hefted the stake. The sharp end pierced his chest, and the sickening sound of tearing flesh filled the room. He lurched once, pushing himself further down the stake so that it stuck out his back, slick with his own blood. Brian stared up at the face that now seemed incredibly innocent, the child he'd once known, with warm light blue eyes. The only difference being the blood that trickled from the side of his mouth, dripping slowly onto the stricken face of his brother.

_COLD, you broke me from the very first night_  
_I'd love you 'til the day that I die_  
_I'm far too comfortable this time_  
_COLD, I loved you from the very first night_  
_You broke me 'til the day that I die_  
_I'm far too obvious this time_

The stake fell to the side, and with it the lifeless body of Hawk. Brian was left there, shaken and bloodied, his shoulders hunched in defeat even though the fight was his. Scarlett crawled slowly to his side, across the cold cement ground that was now slick with crimson liquid. It'd been almost physically painful to her, watching Hawk shoot him repeatedly, but they'd fallen into the strategy so easily, she and Brian, she knew she couldn't break character. Now, seeing him so broken and spent, she wished more than ever she'd intervined. Saved him from this.

Brian looked up, and the briefest flicker of recognition showed there. He didn't move as she placed one hand on his shoulder. Not for a moment, anyway. Soon, as the shock began to wear off, he began to quiver. He wrapped his arms around his chest, trying to hold himself together, to hold back the emotions he'd managed to keep stored away within him for so long. But when Scarlett prompted him to look at her, his defenses fell. His golden amber eyes filled with tears, and suddenly he looked like the tortured young man he was, not the strong adult he'd been forced into being from the very beginning. Sobs shoke him, and Scarlett pulled him close. He held on to her tightly, his tears dampening the fabric of her shirt.

The song slowly faded in the background, and the lightbulb flickered out.

* * *

**So, like, I'm not even really sure what to put here now. o.o**

**Wait... yeah, actually, I do. Adressing everything people have said about hating Ben for the way he spoke to Brian... sorry to break it to you guys, but he was right. Honestly, Brian was being an idiot. Keeping everything in, taking everything onto his own shoulders, it didn't make him strong. It broke him, and it hurt everyone around him. He thought he was being brave, which he was, to an extent. But in refusing to rely on others, in refusing to accept the fact that his family loves him and hates to see him in such pain, he failed everyone. Himself, his friends, his family... everyone.**

**I want that to be a lesson to everyone. If you have a problem that you can't solve on your own, NEVER refuse somebody's help. They only want to help you get through it. And don't go thinking for a minute this has to be somebody you trust or know very well. Anybody you've ever met, anybody's whose life was touched by yours, they're as good as any. Even talk to me, if you want to. I've suffered with clinical depression since I was seven, so trust me, I know what it feels like to be in that much pain without anybody understanding. **

**So don't try to figure out who's your friend. Trust everyone. Get hurt as many times as it takes from betrayel. Your real friends will always be there to help you back up.**

**Reviewers: Spottedwing19, Sparkheart of ThunderClan, winterthaw of thunderclan, Queen Of The Pens, Ivypool Luva, kate882, tufted titmouse, Nightkill, littlemisslibrarian, GlimmerIcewood, Stargazer2000, and Brambleflight.**

**Next chapter will be the last, people. There will be a sequel, and I'll tell you more about it next chapter.**

**Please review? X3**


	13. Chapter 13

It would be a month before Brian was deemed stable enough in both his physical and mental state for visitors to be allowed. Still the doctors were hesitant, warning Scarlett as she walked down the air-conditioned hallway that she couldn't stay long. Her father trailed behind her, coming for his weekly check-up on his mental condition since the incident in the warehouse. Of course, there was nothing to worry about. Fiorella was a strong man, and had been unconcious through most of it anyway. Amazingly, even after hearing Scarlett's story about her relationship with Brian, he'd been very calm about the entire situation. Then again, Scarlett had said nothing about his past. That was something he didn't need to know.

The two stopped at the office where Fiorella was to report for his appointment. Before she left, her father hugged her and gave her several words of encouragement. They did little to stem her worries, but she accepted them nonetheless. As he opened the door and disapeared from her sight, the feeling of emptiness inside of her was almost unbearable. How was she supposed to face him alone? How was she supposed to reopen those memories, things he'd been able to bury since he'd arrived at the hospital? She didn't want to do that to him. He'd been hurt enough. But soon enough, she found herself walking down the hall. Then she was jogging. Finally, she was full-out sprinting, unable to contain her excitement, no matter how selfish it was; she would see Brian again. Finally, after so long. That was enough to crush any worries, any misgivings she'd had.

When she finally reached the door, when she was reaching for the shimmering gold of the doorknob, she had to remind herself to slow down. Be calm. Still, when her hand closed around the cold metal and the door swung open, she couldn't keep the massive grin off her face. As the antiseptic scent of the room hit her nostrils, the sterile white walls gleamed blindingly, all she saw was Brian, struggling to sit up with some help from a kind-faced nurse.

"Scarlett!" His face lit up, and he sat bolt upright before the nurse could protest. He fell back almost immediately however, one hand clutching at his wounded shoulder as a pained groan worked its way through his clenched teeth. The nurse chuckled nervously, setting the pillows up behind him so he could sit up comfortably. She told him he needed to stay still and relax, that they would have an hour together, and what to do if they had any trouble. The nurse gave a friendly nod to Scarlett before she left, and the two were left alone.

She wasted no time in racing to his side, wrapping her arms around his neck, and crying about how worried she'd been. He gave a rusty laugh and hugged her back, but eventually had to tell her she was hurting his shoulder. Reluctantly, she detatched herself from him and sat at the chair beside his bed. She noticed the bandages on his arm, and the ones that showed from his shoulder. The wound above his eye had healed quite a bit, and the scar was almost invisible. It wasn't until he pointed it out that she noticed she was crying, tears falling steadily into her lap. She laughed, wiping them away. "Sorry. I'm just... so relieved."

"You didn't think I'd be alright?" He grinned teasingly, lifting one hand to jab her lightly in the forehead with two fingers. His amber eyes were light and happy, but he was no longer trying to hide from her the depth of his scars. There was pain there, pain that was healing, but pain that would never truly go away. There was no more agony. No more fury. His smile faded slowly, and he took her hand in his own. "I'm just tired, Scarlett. Really tired."

"You have a right to be." She assured him, squeezing his hand. "And you can rest as long as you need. I'll be with you."

After that, she went on to tell him how they'd made it out of the warehouse, since he'd fainted from bloodloss very soon after his battle with Hawk. The others had been brought back to the cells via an alternate entrance, so as to scare Scarlett and Brian into thinking they'd been sent somewhere else. Together, they'd managed to start a riot among the rest of the prisoners, and Craig's cat Crowfeather unlocked their cells. The rebellion didn't last long, since the guards were greatly outnumbered and caught off guard. Dennis was killed. Faith's body was retrieved. Police had been called to shut down the place and get Brian to the hospital as soon as possible.

"What about Hawk?" Brian asked after a long moment. The confliction in his eyes was so powerful Scarlett had to look away. Not long ago, Brian had loved his younger half-brother more than anyone in the world. Upon discovering he'd been the one responsible for the unspeakable trauma in Scarlett's past, none of that love had mattered anymore. It was replaced with hate, hate for the monsterous scum who could speak so lightly about the stolen innocence of a lovely young girl. That could never be forgiven.

"I requested he be buried in Thundera Memorial Fields." Before Brian could open his mouth, could tell her that was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever done, she spoke again. "Your brother is my brother, Brian. Nothing he did will ever change that."

His hands fisted in the covers, his eyes wavering as he tried to sort out his emotions. "Scarlett..." he finally muttered. "You are such an idiot."

"I try." She grinned, just as the nurse popped her head in, saying their visit would have to end. Sighing reluctantly, she stood up and made her way to the door. Before she walked out, she turned back. "I love you, Brian." The last glimpse her got of her before the door was closed was her bright green eyes, open and laughing.

"...I love you, too."

* * *

Several months would pass. Brian would be released from the hospital to go back to his little home in the woods. This time, he wouldn't be alone, since Scarlett had gotten permission from her father to live with him. Tam and Rowan would get married. Stan would go with Brook to her hometown, where they would start a life of their own. Craig would see Leah again in secret, before her parents discovered them and disowned their eldest daughter for her disobediance, and she would change her last name to Feather.

And one sunny day in June, when Brian and Scarlett were going to visit Thundera Memorial Fields, the two stood by the new grave for Hawk Garra. Brian got down on one knee infront of her, slipping a beautiful diamond ring from his pocket. She accepted before he even spoke the words. The wedding was simple, but perfect in the minds of both. Ben made a speech, telling the Thundera family that they had with them one of the most spectacular young men he'd ever met, willing to risk his life for those important to him. Brian seemed to be in shock, but Scarlett only grinned and agreed whole-heartedly.

It was decided that Brian would take the name of Thundera, and with the permission of Scarlett's parents, it was he who would become the heir to Thundera Inc. so that Scarlett could pursue her own dreams. Several more months passed, and the young couple was happier than either could remember ever being in their lives. There were still times when Brian would cling to the nearest object with a vice-like grip, fighting against flashbacks that threatened to overwhelm him. But Scarlett would always be there to comfort him when they were over.

Then they got a call from the hospital. Leah was giving birth.

Scarlett was by her side the entire time, squeezing her hand as she delivered Craig's children. The father didn't show up until his triplets were wrapped up in blankets and the mother left to rest in the room with Scarlett.

"Scarlett," Leah murmured, her pale amber eyes clouded with exhaustion as she looked at her younger sister. "I... I don't have the money to take care of all three of them. I can't do it on my own. Craig wants nothing more to do with me, and the salary I get just isn't enough. And before you try to give me money, mum and dad specifically said you couldn't."

Leah smiled, because even though she'd broken the rules her fair share of times, she would always try her best to keep Scarlett out of trouble.

"Then what will you do?" Scarlett asked, knowing there was no use arguing.

"Will you take one of them?" Leah asked softly, squeezing her sister's hand. "I want to split them up. One for you, one for Craig, and one for me." She smiled warmly, though her eyes were sorrowed. "There's nothing else I can do, is there? That's all they can have. Then again, we all live close by... they'll go to the same school, they'll be great friends... it'll be almost like nothing happened. They'll still be mine, in a way."

Leah fell asleep then, and Scarlett kissed the top of her head before she left. She found Brian waiting outside, and together they walked to the room where the triplets were being kept for the moment. Craig was already inside, looking at his children with profound grief and regret. As soon as they entered, his face became a mask of indifference, and he sat at a wooden chair beside the cot.

The three babies were bundled up next to eachother, their mouth slightly open, their eyebrows drawn together as they slept. Scarlett approached the bed. "Leah wants us to take one of them." She told Brian, whose face lit up at the prospect. Craig stiffened immediately, and she turned to him. "She wants you to have one too, Craig. She doesn't have enough money to take care of all three. It's the best she can do." Without another word, she looked again at the children. "But which one will you take?"

"The girl." Craig answered without hesitation, leaping from his seat. He approached the only girl in the group, a pale-skinned baby with a thin cover of black hair on her head. Already, her resemblance to Craig was showing through in her brooding expression and rather large ears. "She looks to most like me." He muttered when Brian gave him an amused glance. "Or she just reminds you of Leah." Brian suggested gently. The younger man sighed, but didn't attempt to deny it.

"What will you name her?" Scarlett asked, watching the baby's eyes flutter open for the slightest moment. They were deep green, the color of fresh leaves.

"Holly." Craig answered, picking the girl up gently and cradling her in his arms. His face was stoic, his jaw set riggidly, but his eyes were the warmest Scarlett had ever seen them as he stared down at his newborn daughter.

The child that had been resting next to Holly shifted restlessly. He had the least hair of the siblings, but what was there was a soft gray hue. His eyes opened wide, a pale blue color, and Scarlett remembered hearing the doctor tell Leah that one of them was blind. Indeed, she could see in the milkiness of his eyes and his pale pupils that this was the one. For a moment, she considered him. Then she remembered that Leah worked in this very name hospital; she would be able to take care of his medical needs better than she and Brian could.

So finally, they came to the last one, the largest of the siblings. He had skin that was slightly darker than Holly's or his brother's, so in that regard he took after Craig. His already-thick hair was golden, and when he opened his eyes to look at them curiously, they were dark amber.

"Him?" Brian asked, grinning as he looked down at the boy.

"Why, do you like him?" Scarlett asked, picking the baby up rather clumsily, but relaxing once she had him safely in her arms. Brian came up behind her, wrapping one arm around her shoulder and touching the boy's cheek gently with his other hand. "Yeah, I do." He told her, kissing her cheek softly.

Scarlett smiled. "Then... then can we keep him?" She asked, feeling like a child asking to keep a stray puppy.

"Of course we can." He assured her. "It's what you've always wanted, isn't it?"

"Yeah." She agreed, feeling a deep stirring in her chest when the little boy opened his mouth wide in a yawn. "It is."

"Two points for honesty, Thundera." Brian assumed the voice he'd always used for her when they'd first met. "How do you feel about the name Lionel? We could call him Leo for short."

"I love it." She replied,cradling the child close to her chest. "Lionel, heir to Thundera Inc."

* * *

**Preview for the sequel to this story:**

* * *

**"Fine." Lionel snapped, glaring daggers at Jason while he stared calmly back. "Call me what you want. I don't fight to survive anymore, I fight-"**

**"To win?" Jason interrupted, his pale blue eyes narrowing. "I know you do. That's the problem. Why don't you understand, we're meant for so much more? You and I, Holly too- we have the power of the stars in our hands. You can't keep fighting for yourself, Leo. We are meant to use our powers for the good of everyone."**

**Lionel didn't speak for the longest moment, staring silently down at the sidewalk, not meeting his best friend's gaze. Rain suddenly began to fall around them, silvery drops that darkened the ground as they hit. Jason was the only one who seemed to notice, turning his head up the sky in annoyance.**

**"Alright." He muttered. "Alright, I understand. But Jay..." Stepping forward, the taller boy grabbed his best friend by the collar of his shirt and jerked him forward so that he was looking straight into his blind blue eyes. "I'm not a good enough person to die for total strangers." He told him, hardly noticing the way Jason's eyebrows twitched. "I might still run, if it gets too rough." His grip slackened on the smaller boy's shirt before he let go and turned his back on him. "But I'm doing it for you guys." He told him, his fists clenching. "Cause you and Holly are the only ones that will help me keep everyone else safe."**

**Jason smoothed out his shirt, and didn't say another word. But under the cover of the rain, he was smiling.**

* * *

**Yup. XD There will be a hiatus before the new one is posted. A couple weeks, more or less. It will be called 'Less Than a Pearl', and the main character will be Lionel, or Lionblaze. X3 It'll switch a lot of course, like it did in this story.**

**Thank you all for being here and reviewing from the very beginning. X3 I really appreciate it.**

**Reviewers: GlimmerIcewood, Spottedwind19, Ivypool Luva, Stargazer2000, Sparkheart Of ThunderClan, Nightkill, and Queen Of The Pens. That you guys so much!**

**One last review, please? XD**


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